


all of you a verb in perfect view

by parker_kingofbees



Series: movement [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: (i didnt tag thalia because shes only in one chapter and idk how present she'll be in the future so), Fluff, High School AU, Letters, M/M, Minor Annabeth Chase/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Minor Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Minor Swearing, Mortal AU, Trans Percy Jackson, i cant believe i forgot the most important tag, ill add characters as they appear in the story, me: this will be slowburn also me: writes the fastest 'slowburn' known to man, nonbinary leo valdez, not tagging mentioned characters, octavian bashing, percy is a dork but jasons an even bigger dork, very minor one sided leo valdez/nico di angelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 35,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26592805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parker_kingofbees/pseuds/parker_kingofbees
Summary: in which percy's been assigned a penpal from a school in california. his semester one english grade depends largely on his correspondence with some guy named jason grace.aka i tell a story (mostly) through letters between percy and jasontitle from movement by hozier
Relationships: Jason Grace/Percy Jackson
Series: movement [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996510
Comments: 92
Kudos: 175





	1. week one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> upon finishing this i realized im an idiot and i dont think i ever say what grade everyones in in terms that are more accessible to non americans.
> 
> freshman = 9th grade, 14/15 years old  
> sophomore = 10th grade, 15/16 years old  
> junior = 11th grade, 16/17 years old  
> senior = 12th grade, 17/18 years old
> 
> most of the characters in this story are in junior year, which means standardized tests (SAT or ACT) if theyre planning on applying to colleges, starting to consider their postgraduation plans, etc.

Dear Jason,

So. This might be the weirdest English assignment ever. I mean, I don't even know you. Hell (sorry, Mr. Brunner, but you said to write as we normally would) we don't even live on the same coast of America. So excuse me if this is a little weird.

My name is Percy Jackson. I'm a Junior at Goode High School and my favorite color is blue. Ugh, sorry, that was dumb but I don't know what else to write. Hmm. What can I say? I'm a Greek mythology enthusiast (really all mythology, but especially Greek. I actually chose my name from Greek mythology. Any guesses as to what it is?) and by extension, history. I like to play video games (my current favorites are Among Us and Minecraft) and I write fiction (even though I have dyslexia. I have proofreaders a plenty for everything). And I'm trans. And gay. Throwing that out there so I know if you're bigoted.

What about you? I know you’re a Junior at Centurion High School and that your favorite subject is also history. But what's your favorite food (mine's lasagna, or anything of the blue variety)? Flavor of Gatorade (mine is blue)? Video games? Anything else you want to share?

Sincerely,  
Percy Jackson

P.S. I would offer my SnapChat but that's against the rules :(

* * *

Dear Percy,

I agree, this is an odd assignment. Here's a fair warning, by the way: I have a bit of a pretentious writing style at times, and I am so sorry for it.

Nice to meet you, Percy. What's Goode like? Is the food good, or can you at least go off campus for food? Are there cool classes? Extra curriculars? As for your name, I'm afraid I may have cheated by way of my friend Annabeth, as I'm more of a Roman mythology fan (sorry). Is it Perseus? I read Annabeth's copy of Greek myths and he makes a pretty good choice. Or is it someone more obscure? Also, I'm not bigoted. He/him pronouns? I'm graysexual, cisgender, he/him.

My favorite food is pretty much all types of stew. I don't like Gatorade but I'm a sucker for sweet tea. Video games aren't really my style but I've learned to love Minecraft (once again, thanks to Annabeth). Other things to share… hmm… I'm taking Latin. I'm a football player. I like to read classics.

I'm an only child, technically. I have an older sister, but we were separated before I was 6. I'm only telling you this because I can't imagine any repercussions for telling you. Do you have siblings? Pets? I unfortunately don't have any.

Hmm. Well, I've run out of things to ask, so. Talk to you soon.

Cordially,  
Jason Grace

P.S. I'll bite. What's with the color blue?


	2. week two

Dear Jason,  
  


Ouch. I'm hurt. _Cheating?_ You _cheated_ ? _This_ is your choice first impression?  
  


Yes, I did pick the name Perseus. Good on Annabeth, since _somebody_ couldn't be damned to figure it out himself. I am legitimately honored that you read my myth, though. Have you read _your_ myth? (Fun fact, Mr. Roman Mythology, you share a name with the Golden Fleece dude)  
  


Goode is pretty much your typical American high school. Basic, unsanitary, questionable. We have vending machines, though, so no complaints here. Absolutely no classes of interest. I do attend sparring lessons, so I can fight with a sword. That's interesting I guess? It's fun to spar with my stepfather because he took stage sparring or whatever and so he's only slightly harder to beat than most of my friends.  
  


Bingo on the pronouns. Thanks for not sucking.  
  


Favorite classics? I don't like any except myths, but. Still. Might be interesting to hear about.  
  


Sorry about your sister. I'm not sure if my genuinity shows through, but I'm truly sorry. I have two siblings. My half brother is in 9th grade (related on my dad's side) and his name is Tyson. He likes to make stuff. Anything. Pottery, Lego, miniature houses. My half sister is 3 years old (mom's side) and named Estelle. She's sweet and bossy and runs me ragged. I also have a giant black dog named Mrs. O'Leary and I would die for her.  
  


The blue is slightly personal, so I’ll skimp on the details (namely because of YOU, Mr. Brunner), but basically my stepfather before my current one was. How to put this? Not great. You know? Blue food became my mom’s form of resistance because he insisted there was no such thing.  
  


I'm writing this at 3 A.M. (SORRY Mr. Brunner, I wasn't procrastinating BUT I CANNOT SLEEP.) and just want to write something, so feel free to skip the rest of this letter.  
  


I'm bored, bored, bored. Doing that tip in creative writing where you write your thoughts and clean then up later. I'm tired but not in a sleepy way, and I'm lonely but not in a definable way. Hmm. I want it to be Halloween already. I'm so excited for my friends group costume. I'm now remembering what you said about video games. Your friend Annnabeth sounds like a Woman of Culture™. And we should play Minecraft someday (Mr. Brunner THIS IS NOT ME REVEALING UNSUPERVISED METHODS OF CONTACT, MERELY A COMMENT). I’m going back to Halloween. What’s your favorite kind of candy? Do you do Halloween? If you do, what are you gonna dress up as? Tell me about your friends? I’ll tell you about mine.

  
First there’s Grover. He’s been my best friend since 6th grade when we got paired up for a project on Greek mythology (hmm, never done a project on Roman mythology though. IN YOUR FACE, GRACE). He’s an advocate for environmentals stuff that I’m not in any way qualified to describe. We have the most bomb Minecraft world together that we started in 7th grade. Can you boast the same with any of your friends? Somehow I doubt it.  
  


There’s Rachel, who I’ve known since 9th grade. She’s my closest friend after Grover. They like to go to protests and stuff together and sometimes I go too. She’s a very talented artist but she can be mean to me sometimes. :( She’s also scarily good at first person shooter games and I don’t know how.  
  


Leo and Piper have been my friends since the middle of 10th grade. Leo is like a super math genius. They’re interested in mechanics and can build really cool stuff. Piper is my go to skateboarding buddy, she’s a pro. She’s also fluent in French which is crazy impressive. I don’t think I could learn a language even if the Duolingo bird kidnapped me and spoke German 24/7.  
  


There’s Nico, who’s practically my cousin, and his boyfriend Will. I’ve known Nico since we were both kids, and he’s a scary emo goth kid who listens to too much My Chemical Romance. I’ve only started talking to Will since they started dating but he’s pretty cool. Total opposite of Nico. Not much to say about him.  
  


Thalia is a year older than me, and is pretty much my cousin too. She used to live with me but got her own place when she was 16, so. She feeds Nico’s emo-ness with her own punk/emo/whatever. Also a very fun person to skateboard with because we’re both so competitive.  
  


Those are my friends! Hmm, I’ve been properly worn out, so I’ll go to bed now. Thanks for reading my rambles (Sorry Mr. Brunner I know you’re a busy person with lots of letters to check/grade).  
  


Sincerely,  
Percy Jackson  
  


P.S. I told Rachel I’d buy her a coffee if she drew a picture of me to send to you. You know, Just So You Know. If you have any artsy friends, please feel free to send one back (MR. BRUNNER THIS DOES NOT COUNT AS AN IDENTIFYING IMAGE BECAUSE RACHEL COULD BE TAKING ARTISTIC LICENSE, I DON’T KNOW.)

* * *

Dear Perseus,  
  


I hope you don’t mind me using your full name. I rather like it, so I thought it might be fun to use from time to time.  
  


“Golden fleece dude” sounds interesting. I read up on him and the whole “Beware of a man with one sandal” prophecy was… interesting, I suppose.   
  


Goode doesn’t sound too far off from Centurion. No vending machines here though. We do have a few really cool classes, though. I’m taking Astronomy, which is fascinating, and I hope to take Ancient Cultures next year as a social studies elective, which I figured you might be interested in, and where, by the way, I will likely be doing projects on Greek _and_ Roman mythology.  
  


Glad I don’t suck.  
  


Classics. Oh, where do I begin? (In very you fashion, I will address my English teacher: Mrs. Juno, I am not trying to gain extra points by expressing an interest in literature) For one, I share your interest in mythology. Greek never particularly caught my eye, though. I’ve been researching Indian mythology, but I’m hoping to look at various African mythology next. As far as books go, however, I do enjoy The Great Gatsby, as the levels of subtext are interesting to me, and Of Mice and Men the most.   
  


Your half siblings sound wonderful. What breed is Mrs. O’Leary? I have a horse named Tempest, but like I said, no pets who live in my house.  
  


Your previous step father does not sound great, or really all that smart. Regardless of using food dye, does he realize blueberries exist? That they aren’t dyed, but rather grow that way? Interesting.  
  


I’m writing this at 4 P.M. the day I received your letter, and I really enjoyed your rambling. I would love to play Minecraft with you one day (in a totally hypothetical way, Mrs. Juno). I’m afraid to admit I don’t love candy. I do make exceptions for any chocolate/peanut butter combos, if that’s better. I don’t really do Halloween, it depends on my friends’ plans. This year I might. I don’t know what I’ll dress up as. What’s your friend group going as? Your friends all sound lovely.  
  


My closest friend is Reyna. We’ve known each other since Kindergarten and have been best friends ever since. She has two dogs that I love as I would my own, named Argentum and Aurum, and she’s been president and I’ve been vice president of the student council since 6th grade. She enjoys sports, especially track and field, and is the second smartest person I know. I trust her with my life.  
  


My second closest friend is Annabeth, whom I’ve already mentioned. We met in 8th grade, and she’s the first smartest person I know. Unfortunately, we do not have any Minecraft worlds as impressive as yours and Grover’s, but we do have some fairly impressive builds in creative mode. She wants to be an architect someday, which is how she got into Minecraft in the first place.

  
I’m not so close with my next two friends as I am with my first two. There’s Hazel, a freshman whom I took under my wing this year. She’s an artist, and a horse riding enthusiast, so we tend to ride together sometimes. She has an impressive knowledge of the history of witchcraft. Then there’s Frank, who moved here from Canada over the summer. He’s also a junior, and I met him shortly before school began. He’s built like a football player but he’s the meekest person I know. He has about a thousand stray cats that he takes care of, and I think he wants to be a veterinarian when he finishes school.

  
I’m now realizing that I never addressed sword fighting. That’s very interesting! How did you get into that? How long have you been learning? Is it fencing, or not quite?

  
Also, looking back on it: what do you have against My Chemical Romance? I don’t listen to it, personally, but it sounds almost like you’ve got a vendetta against anything “punk/emo/whatever”.

  
That Duolingo situation sounds dire. Perhaps I can assist you? I’m learning a few languages, perhaps I can give you hints? All I ask in return is that your math genius friend helps me with pre-calc.

  
Cordially,  
Jason Grace

  
P.S. After explaining the situation to Hazel, she happily agreed to do a drawing of me. Tell your friend Rachel that the drawing is extremely well drawn and that I appreciate her service. (As you said to your teacher, I will say to mine: due to the artistic freedom and the differences from life various art styles impose, I do not believe this violates the no-picture-rule)


	3. week three

Dear Jason,

I’m glad you like my rambling, because I’m starting this letter with a ramble. I’ll get to responding to your letter in a little bit. Isn’t it weird that every letter starts with dear? I mean, I don’t really know you. Are you supposed to be near and dear to my heart? I like you, you seem cool, but I don’t understand why the default address is dear. It’s weird. Please don’t find it offensive, I mean it in a speculative way.

I like my name, too, so you can call me Perseus all you want. I suppose it doesn’t make a difference, writing Percy or Perseus. But when speaking, Percy is easier, faster, and less formal, so that’s why I introduced myself that way. I’m just used to it by now. Also yeah, Jason isn’t my favorite Greek myth but that’s absolutely one of the more funky prophecies.

Ancient Cultures sounds bomb, have fun. Also the operative word there is _likely_ . You will _likely_ learn more about Greek than Roman mythology because the Romans were stupid copycats :) (Mr. Brunner this isn’t being hostile this is showing an active interest in a shared area where we have opposing viewpoints, this is a very professional debate) (Will your English teacher read my letter too? I assume not because so far, both of your letters have come to me still sealed).

The Great Gatsby? More like The Gay Gatsby (Mr. Brunner please this is professional commentary on an American classic). That’s just about all I know about that book. Of Mice and Men was alright, I guess, I don’t know.

I don’t know what breed Mrs. O’Leary is because 1) she’s from the pound and 2) I know nothing about dog breeds, which is why I will not ask what breeds Reyna’s dogs are.

Gabe (old stepfather) was a giant asshole but I no longer have to put up with him, so at least there’s that.

WHAT? (Sometimes) No Halloween? For shame! You absolutely must celebrate this year. Double for shame (eight shame?) because you don’t like (most) candy. I can’t believe I got partnered with a DWEEB (Mr. Brunner: I swear this is a joke, okay? I’m sure Jason will completely understand). Anyways, my friend group is planning on dressing up as characters from a video game!

Your friends all sound cool, but I do have a comment for Annabeth: _Why?_ Creative mode is for wimps. Survival is where it's at. Also, Frank reminds me of my cousin, coincidentally also named Frank :) What is up with Canadian Franks?

Sword fighting is great. Not fencing, I have a legit sword and everything. It’s pretty hard but I enjoy the complexities. I’ve been doing it since I was 13. I’m not ashamed to admit it was mostly because I wanted to be a Greek hero (Roman mythology SUCKS).

I do have a vendetta against emo/punk/whatever and it’s because they get grouped together with skateboarders so often. I’m NOT emo, I’m NOT punk, I just like to SKATEBOARD and occasionally WEAR HEELYS. 

I will take all the help I can get. Every day that I cannot pronounce “guten morgan” (gutting Morgan???), the monstrous green owl grows more and more angry, and draws closer and closer to violence. For the sake of my wellbeing, please, help me. I will learn whatever language you know to get this bird away from me. However, I would warn you against asking Leo for assistance, as they get too excited and talk too quickly to be of any assistance. Believe me, I tried asking for help on my geometry last year and it was all a blur. You can’t even copy their work because it’s all chicken scratch, much like my handwriting (congratulations, by the way, on your ability to understand me).

I don’t have many other questions to write so. Maybe just tell me more about yourself? Anything. Or about how your day is going?

Sincerely,

Percy Jackson

P.S. Rachel says thank you and that you totally can’t find more of her art on the DeviantArt page “red-caffienart” (always be plugin’). Hazel is also very talented, and I am honored to now possess this piece of art. If it’s at all lifelike, you look kinda cute lol (MR. BRUNNER PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS IS ALL HYPOTHETICAL AND A JOKE, NONE OF THIS IS SERIOUS)

* * *

Dear Perseus,

I understand what you mean about ‘dear’ completely, and I don’t find it offensive. That said, I thought we were becoming friends :( You’re my dearest Perseus I know! Even counting the one from Greek mythology!

I don’t think Mrs. Juno read your letter, and for that I’d count myself lucky if I were you, because she’s a big fan of Roman mythology and would hate to read a letter slandering its name (hey, Mrs. Juno, don’t worry, I’m gonna change his mind).

The Gay Gatsby indeed.

It’s a good call not to ask about dog breeds because I’m a little scared to ask Reyna. She’d probably go Scary Reyna mode and talk about how, after so many years, I should remember the breed of her dogs. Or maybe not. Who knows? Not me, I’m too scared to ask her.

I’m sorry about no Halloween, okay? My dad’s a business man who is entirely too busy to take a young child trick-or-treating, and when I became a teenager, I didn’t have the guts to go alone. Parties aren’t much my scene, so it was a no-go there, too.

Annabeth cussed you out when I posed your question. She really likes creative mode. I’m sure Frank and Frank would get along swimmingly if they ever met.

Please stop slandering Roman mythology’s name :( 

Okay, wow, you’re about a thousand times more salty about punk/emo/whatever than I thought you would be, especially considering the skater aesthetic is not far off, albeit distinctly different.

First of all, it’s pronounced GOO-tin morgen, second of all it’s spelled guten morgEn. “Good morning” in German. Third of all, I don’t think I can help you if I’m not getting help on my pre-calculus in return :(

Let’s see, what have I done today? Well, it’s only the first period. Currently, Octavian (a boy in my grade) is talking at an obnoxiously loud volume about how _he_ is absolutely going to win student body president this year. He’s annoying, and has been boasting each and every year since middle school that _this_ is the year he’ll win president. He’s also pretty rude to Hazel which is upsetting because she’s practically a baby. I swear, though, Annabeth looks close to beating him up because he started trash talking Reyna. Annabeth has a hilariously huge crush on Reyna. That is, it would be hilarious if it wasn’t incredibly annoying for me. She never stops talking about Reyna to me, and I’m so over it.

As for about myself, well, I’m not sure what to say. I’d describe myself as a leader, curious, and observant, I suppose? Annabeth read that over my shoulder and scoffed. She says I’m the least observant person she knows, which I obviously disagree with her on. Anyways, how would you prefer I describe myself? Acrostic poetry? A life-changing memory, perhaps? Even better, would you like me to have my friends all write you letters of recommendation on my behalf? Whichever one you choose, please at least send one back.

Forever cordially,

Jason Grace

P.S. Hazel says thank you!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have no idea if anyone happens to share a deviantart acct name with rachel, i really came up with it on the spot. i do not endorse the account if it happens to exist, it is a mere coincidence.


	4. week four

My dearest Jason,

Alright, fine. You’re my dearest Jason because I Don’t Love™ Greek mythology Jason. I’ll try to stop referencing Greek mythology now, for your sake, my sake/safety from Mrs. Juno, and Mr. Brunner’s sake.

PLEASE, give yourself a childhood and GO TRICK-OR-TREATING. One of your friends have GOT to have a younger sibling, right? Offer to take them out and just get candy while you’re at it. There’s nothing quite like free candy from strangers. Give yourself at least one more night to gorge on candy you didn’t buy.

TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW, YOU HEAR ME? PUNK/EMO/WHATEVER IS NOTHING LIKE THE SKATEBOARDING AESTHETIC. IN FACT, THE LATTER ISN’T EVEN AN AESTHETIC, IT’S A LIFESTYLE.  _ This is Piper, a fellow skateboarder, writing to say Percy is full of shit and I’m sorry he’s pressing his bad opinions on to you.  _ (MR. BRUNNER, DON’T LECTURE ME ON THIS ONE, I SWEAR IT’S NOT MY FAULT, PIPER WROTE IT.)

Okay, first the punk/emo/whatever thing and now this? You’d let me DIE at the hands of the DUOLINGO BIRD? Where’s your humanity? I thought you said I was your  _ dearest  _ Perseus, and yet you’d let your Perseus be  _ massacred _ ? Oh, woe is me! ‘Tis a day most sad indeed!

Octavian sounds like… a jerk (See, Mr. Brunner, I told you I’d stop cussing in these letters). Any junior who bullies a freshman for no good reason is definitely a Jerk Deluxe. Also, man, having to hear someone gush or agonize over their crush is THE WORST. Leo had a big crush on Nico back in like, March through June, and I swear to God I wanted to punch them every single time they talked. “Do you think Nico likes me? Nico would look really good with eyeliner on, I wish he’d put eyeliner on. Do you think he’d accept eyeliner from me? Emo guys like eyeliner. Nico makes really good pasta” LIKE NO [scratched out] HE MAKES GOOD PASTA, HE’S [scratched out] ITALIAN!

And you think Nico I-Have-No-Emotions di Angelo would be better, but NOPE. When he first got a crush on Will in May it was “Will wants to be a surgeon when he graduates, isn’t that so cool? Do you think Will would like it if I made him homemade lasagna? Those jeans look really good on Will, do you think they’re new? Can you invite Will to your end of year party? Should I ask Will out?” LIKE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY, NICO, SHUT UP. WRITE THIS IN YOUR DIARY FOR ALL I CARE.

Here, I’ll provide all three to describe myself.

P retty (uwu)

E nergetic

R eally confident in things I’m good at

S assy

E ager

U ndeniably hilarious

S word that starts with s

When I was at the tender age of 6, I remember receiving my very first Lego set. I was absolutely entrapped, ensnared in the magic of strategically placing pieces where Gabe would step on them, and then insisting that they never left my bedroom in the first place. Unfortunately, because Gabe was a Jerk Deluxe Plus, he never believed me, and thus I was always caught. Because of this, I have learned to be sneakier in my vengeful traps.

With all the hurt feelings in the world (yes this is about Duolingo),

Your “dearest” Percy Jackson

P.S. See attached paper for letter of recommendation (that Mr. Brunner HAS to see I guess despite the fact that GROVER DOESN’T TAKE THIS CLASS AND WON’T GET GRADED FOR IT. MY FRIEND DID THIS FOR FUN, MR. BRUNNER, I THOUGHT THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO ENCOURAGE WILLINGLY WRITING LETTERS) (Grover would like to note that Mr. Brunner’s feedback was actually very helpful, and he wanted to say thank you to my teacher. I would like to note that I told him not to give the letter to Mr. Brunner for editing, and that he would just skim over it when I turned in my letter)

* * *

To whom it may concern:

I am writing on the behalf of my friend, Mr. Perseus Jackson, as a judgement of character.

I first had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jackson when I transferred into his class at the age of 12. Despite being bullied by the majority of our classmates, Mr. Jackson never spoke ill of me but instead would stand up for me. For the sake of explaining his character, I will recount a tale from our 6th grade history field trip; after spending the entire bus ride being pelted with bits of sandwich by an unnamed bully, I was resigned to having a bad time on the field trip. Despite one of the supervising teachers notoriously hating Mr. Jackson above the rest of the class, he stood up for me. This, unfortunately, escalated the situation, ultimately leading to Mr. Jackson’s two week suspension. However, he has never once accepted any apology from me, nor pinned any blame on me.

Mr. Jackson has also always been accepting, kind, and courageous. He came out as trans in 8th grade, and ever since has kindly and patiently assisted questioning peers, spoken up about issues he’s noticed, and not once has he failed to call out an intolerant individual, even if they take the form of his own teacher.

He is, without a doubt, the most worthy, trusting, and amazing friend I’ve ever been gifted with. Please treat him well.

Signed,

Grover Underwood

* * *

  
  


My dearest Perseus,

You want to increase the dramatics on our letters? Okay, I’ll show you dramatic letters.

I do have friends with younger siblings. That is to say I have one friend with younger siblings. However, Annabeth’s twin brothers are both middle schoolers who frighten me beyond belief, and as such, I will not take them trick-or-treating. Maybe I’ll find a way to that free candy anyways. You’ve inspired me, and I’m now entertaining the notion of dressing up as Jason for Halloween. I’m sure I could find a yellow blanket to call my Golden Fleece. Any thoughts?

My dearest, Perseus, I couldn’t save you from the Duolingo owl if I tried. I won’t try, however, because I think it was quite rude how you yelled at me over the whole skateboard thing. I quite like the sound of your friend Piper, and I would most appreciate it if you’d take it upon yourself to extend my gratitude to her.

Octavian is, indeed, a “Jerk Deluxe”.

Poor Leo. At least Nico got a boyfriend at the end of his pining. Meanwhile Leo is left significant other-less. I don’t know if it’s the post-punk/emo/whatever/Duolingo-induced rage speaking or if you’re truly still that annoyed by it, but you do sound quite a bit mad at Leo still over their(?) crush on Nico.

Is Nico “I-Have-No-Emotions” di Angelo known to be closed off? If so, I can see why you might be surprised. However, if your shock comes from the fact that he is merely quiet, then I think you may have misjudged his character, and that the “I-Have-No-Emotions” title is improperly bestowed on him.

(I would like to take a moment to apologize to Mrs. Juno for what I’m about to write, but a deal is a deal)

J oyous

A ccepting

S cholarly

O rganized

N ice?

I don’t have many life changing moments. Perhaps I shall remember the faithful day I received my first scar. I was a measly two years old, I had happened to have been left alone for a small amount of time with a stapler. Intrigued and showing my truly curious self, I naturally attempted to eat the stapler. Thus, I gained a scar on my upper lip.

Now, as I was two, you may wonder how I know this tale. Quite easily, I answer: my older sister had had the forethought to write it down in an old diary of her’s.

Lovingly,

Jason Grace

P.S. See the paper attached for a letter of recommendation from Reyna

* * *

jason’s a good friend. best person i know. my dogs trust him so i trust him.

reyna


	5. week five

My dearest Jason,

You call  _ that _ a dramatic letter? Hoo boy, I’m disappointed. I’m expecting a full fledged, properly dramatic love letter by the time the semester’s over.

What the heck (SEE Mr. Brunner, I know how to censor myself WITHOUT scribbling on the paper) kind of budget does your school have? Your English classes are flying out to NEW YORK so everyone can meet their penpals? Why? How? Where are you all staying? Are you guys really missing a few days of classes for this? Also, thank you because now our Thanksgiving break is going to be closer to a full week off. Get absolutely rekt, everyone not in Mr. Brunner’s English classes. Have you ever been to New York before?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, absolutely please dress up as Jason, just take pictures so I can see in November, please. It makes me almost want to dress up as Perseus for Halloween. Almost. My friends mustn’t be betrayed by me.

Man, I know you weren’t on my side, but how dare you like Piper more than me :( For that, I refuse to tell her thank you. 

Don’t worry too much about Leo. They(!) tend to crush on a lot of people. Nico is, unfortunately for them, a recurring fascination, but they’ve had an s/o or two over the years. Yes, that was mostly post-rage venting.

Also Nico is so unbelievably closed off, I thought he hated me for all of elementary school. It wasn’t until years after he started treating me somewhat civilly that he explained it was because he liked me. When I tell you I was shocked…

That stapler moment sounds absolutely beautiful, absolutely perfect, absolutely stunning. And tell Reyna that I absolutely applaud her letter of recommendation. If I weren’t convinced before that you would make a good friend, I sure am now.

So, to go back to the whole your-school-is-coming-to-New-York: would you be able to come? It’d be pretty cool to meet you, gotta be honest. I’m actually really enjoying this assignment, a lot more than I thought I would, and I would (HYPOTHETICALLY) like to meet you in person so we could exchange numbers or something. If you did go to New York, what would you want to do? Any places to see, or activities to partake in? Or would you just do something boring, like stay in your hotel/airbnb/cardboard box and do homework?

After I started thinking about it, I also started thinking about the fact that some of my friends might actually talk to some of your friends? So here’s a list of friends in Mr. Brunner’s class and who they talk to.

Nico: Octavian. He absolutely hates Octavian, and I didn’t even have to ask who he’s writing to. All I did was simply bring up the New York field trip news and he instantly started venting to us all about how sucky his partner is. He vented so intensely, even Will hates Octavian, and Will is generally a very golden retriever like person.

Leo: Annabeth. They’re pretty pleased with Annabeth, they think she’s pretty smart (but is convinced they’d easily smoke her in a math contest, if such a sad contest existed). Apparently, they want to try to collaborate on a project or something. Seems cool.

Will: Frank. He likes Frank, thinks he’s a very decent dude, and then started talking about the differences between human medicine and animal medicine, which I didn’t understand at all. I think literally only Nico was listening to Will after that.

And fun fact! Apparently, if you’re friends with Hazel Levesque, you might be friends with Nico’s half sister! (Obligatory note to/for/from? Mr. Brunner: we shall not abuse this new found connection to break any sort of rules regarding our lack of outside contact with one another)

Yours,

Percy Jackson

P.S. I don’t want to break our post script streak, so please put something easier to respond to in the next post script.

* * *

  
  


My dearest Perseus,

Okay, about the funding thing: our school district mostly consists of families that are… better off…? Better off enough that our school’s funding, combined with individual funding, allows this field trip to take place. Mrs. Juno decided that such a field trip would be beneficial to the reward aspect of this project, since only students who haven’t missed a letter deadline are eligible to go. We’re all staying in a hotel somewhat close to your school as I understand it. Granted, this is all hearsay, so I cannot promise the validity behind such rumors. I’m glad some good will come out of it for your class. My class is equally as excited. I’ve never been to New York. What’s it like? Do you like it there? Do you think  _ I’ll  _ like it there?

Haha, alright. Jason it is. Maybe next year we can both dress up as matching heroes from afar. If anyone asks, we can tell them we’re matching with a person on the other side of the continent!

Aw, Perseus, don’t be jealous. Of course I don’t like Piper more than you! Mr. Brunner, on the other hand, certainly has had his character revealed to me via your endearingly hilarious parentheticals. Tell him how much I prefer him to you. This is, of course, a joke.

I’m so glad Reyna painted a good picture of me, I don’t know what I would do without her. Perhaps now our bond may be eternal.

Yes, I’ll be coming on the field trip. I’m so incredibly excited, believe it or not. I absolutely cannot wait to meet you and (HYPOTHETICALLY) exchange numbers. You’re such a cool, funny guy and as Annabeth and Reyna can attest, I talk about you a good bit. I don’t know all I would like to do in New York. I know I would love to listen to a concert in Carnegie Hall, but I am just as certain that that will not happen on my trip. However, if I like it enough, hopefully I’ll come back. I think I’ll like it, at least because you’re there.

Poor Nico. Octavian has had some unsavory words to say about him (which Mrs. Juno now is aware of) from the start. Octavian is more than a bit of a jerk in my opinion, and I can’t help but wonder why he picks on both Nico and Hazel. I also feel bad for Nico because he’ll have to meet and put up with Octavian but he doesn’t even get to see his half sister.

Annabeth is a fan of Leo, too. I asked her for her thoughts and she didn’t have any criticism for them apart from their handwriting. That is an impressive feat, so congratulate Leo for me. I do not like them more than you, so maybe you can actually tell them that. Annabeth then asked me about who I had, and said that Leo seems to really like your company, which was good to know I guess. She also told me that they said they only gush to you about their crushes when Piper has had enough. Maybe consider thanking Piper now?

Frank says Will is *silent thumbs up*. He then said he’s looking forward to rehashing their human vs. animal doctor debate in person.

I can’t believe I’m friends with Nico’s half sister! She said she’s not going to ask him anything about you guys for us, because she doesn’t want Mrs. Juno to think she’s helping us break rules. Because she’s a freshman, she’s still in the strictly-following-rules mindset (Mrs. Juno: I absolutely respect her for that. I hope you have her in a class someday, I’m sure you’d love her).

Now, I’m not sure if you noticed, but I happened to skip over a joke you’ve made. I’ll address it now. I’m sorry, this is all your fault, but now I absolutely have to write you a love letter in December for our last mandatory letter. I apologize from the bottom of my heart, Perseus, but you brought this upon yourself. If you didn’t want a love letter from an overdramatic, classics loving nerd, then you shouldn’t have brought up love letters at all. This was the risk you ran, knowing or no, and thus this is the outcome you will receive.

With all the love in my heart,

Jason Grace

P.S. I apologize for my lackluster post script. I’d try to liven this one up via sonnet but somehow I imagine none of us (that is, neither you, Mrs. Juno, nor I) want to witness that. So instead I’ll just say: 7 weeks until New York! We fly out on Black Friday.


	6. week six

My dearest Jason,  
  


New York is going to be cold. Be prepared, Cali boy, because you’ll freeze if you aren’t. Aside from that, I don’t know how best to prepare you. Don’t stop in the middle of the road. Don’t stare at strangers for too long. Don’t take candy from strangers if it isn’t October 31st. Is that good? Do you feel prepared? I like it enough, here. I was raised here so I can’t say I dislike it. It’s got its flaws, but I can’t think of a place I’d rather live. California seems nice. Hmm. I certainly hope you’ll like it here, because I might be devastated if you don’t.  
  


It makes me wonder. What are your plans for the future? Are you going to college? If so, what will you study, and what will you do with your degree? Where will you go? If not, what are you going to do, and why?  
  


That sounds like an absolutely solid plan. Next year, maybe we can dress up as Achilles and Patroclus? Eros and Thanatos (though not strictly related to each other in mythology, and not technically heroes, I always associate the two together)? Hmm. I’m thinking of a few others, but I’d like to hear your preferably non-Roman thoughts.  
  


Great, now I need to be jealous of Mr. Brunner? :( (No context needed, Mr. Brunner, absolutely do not worry about it)  
  


I was going to tease you about you talking about me but then you said the thing about liking New York because I’m there and I’m… :( That’s very sweet of you to say. Thank you. I sincerely hope that I live up to your interpretation of me.  
  


Yep. That’s exactly what Nico’s upset about. I think he might actually punch Octavian in the nose on sight, and even as I write, Will is frantically trying to talk him out of it. We’d all love to see it, but nobody wants Nico to get in trouble for it, either, least of all his boyfriend, so here’s hoping Will succeeds. Nico did say he’s flying out to California to visit Hazel for Christmas, though, so at least there’s that.  
  


I’m afraid I couldn’t tell Leo or Will their penpals’ honest thoughts on them, because while I’m not great with social cues, I sure as hell know that talking your boyfriend out of murder/watching your crush(?)’s boyfriend talk him out of murder is not a great time to begin discussing penpals, especially when that’s what caused said murder discussion. (DON’T WORRY MR. BRUNNER, NICO WILL NOT ACTUALLY MURDER HIS PENPAL)  
  


Man, does this mean she won’t send Nico stuff per our request, either? Darn, I was hoping to see if I could weasel a photo out of her. I bet Nico won’t let us snoop at all, either, out of spite. Or because he thinks I’ll gloat about it in a letter and Mr. Brunner will catch him red handed (See, Mr. Brunner? I’m following the rules. I have not looked into Jason’s personal life at all).  
  


Okay, that last paragraph scared me at first. YES, PLEASE WRITE ME A LOVE LETTER. I WILL FRAME IT AND TREASURE IT FOREVER. I WILL ENSURE THAT, WHEN I DIE AT THE RIPE OLD AGE OF 79, IT WILL BE IN MY HANDS AS I’M BURIED. I WILL LITERALLY NEVER LET IT LEAVE MY SIDE. Maybe I’ll write one to you, too (suck it, Mr. Brunner, you never said love letters were against the rules).  
  


Hopefully, things are going more smoothly for you and your friends than things are for me and mine. I’m becoming increasingly curious as to what all Octavian and Nico have said to each other. I wonder if we could deduce it? Is Octavian homophobic, anti-immigration, racist? When we say Jerk Deluxe, what brand of Jerk Deluxe are we talking? Because Nico is gay, an Italian immigrant, with a Black half-sister, so if he has any of those trash opinions, that means their friendship was doomed from the start.  
  


I got to admit, I’m slightly scared now, though Nico seems calmed down. I’m going to tempt everyone with a game night or something so that everyone calms down.  
  


Yours always,  
Percy Jackson  
  


P.S. You’re very much mistaken. I would love nothing more than to read a sonnet written by you, for me. But if that is the case, then 47 days until we meet (as of the day I turn this letter in)

* * *

My dearest Perseus,  
  
Got it. Long sleeve shirt weather? Other than that, I’ll make sure to follow common sense. That was decent, and I now feel decently prepared. Please don’t be devastated if I don’t like New York. I’m sure it’s great, and I don’t want you to worry about an outcome that is so unlikely it may as well be nonexistent.  
  


My plans for the future would be much more properly called my father’s plans for my future. I am to attend an Ivy League school, preferably Yale or Harvard, major in business, and take over my father’s company some day. However, I’d rather study… I don’t know. I haven’t thought much about what I’d prefer, as that’s futile. I think if I got to choose, I’d start with a gap year. Perhaps that would turn permanent, or perhaps I would go to school somewhere to learn about something I love. What about you? What are your plans?

  
I got to say, Achilles and Patroclus is sounding very appealing to me. It’s a shame how sad their story’s ending is, though.

  
I have no doubt in my mind that, regardless of how you compare to my interpretation of you, I’ll thoroughly enjoy knowing you in person. I cannot wait to meet you.  
  


Oh man. I hope Nico doesn’t punch Octavian. I’m looking forward to meeting your friends, (obviously I’m more excited about meeting you, though), and him being suspended might put a bit of a damper on the week. As frustrated as Nico may be with Octavian, I sincerely hope he doesn’t risk anything that might get him in trouble. I’m also sorry that that’s making your lunch troublesome. I suppose the plus side is, if Nico _does_ get suspended, I’ll still be able to meet him in December, probably. I asked Hazel about it, and she said she can’t wait to see him, and asked me to drop a hint that him getting suspended might make their father less willing to let Nico fly across the country? Maybe pass that message on as moral support for your friend, hopefully that will stop him from violence.  
  


Indeed, murder de-escalation is not the ideal time to bring up penpals. It’s okay, Annabeth’s a rather honest person and Frank nearly never thinks poorly of anyone, so hopefully Leo and Will already know their penpals like them. Poor Leo, crushing on Nico again? Or is it unclear? I hope they move on soon.  
  


Hazel said that, as a freshman, she should not be involved in this situation in any way, shape, or form, and that even if Nico did try to get any pictures out of her, she would refuse to cooperate. In other words, I wouldn’t bother trying to snoop. Just be patient, Perseus, and all will come in time.  
  


I can’t exactly tell from your last letter; do you want me to write you a love letter? You seemed so unenthused about the subject, which leads me to think perhaps I should give up now. Mayhaps I should write a hate letter, that is the opposite of a love letter, even if it would be filled with lies by virtue of me not hating you at all? Please clarify this point promptly.  
  


I must confess, I’ve never talked politics with Octavian. However, I know he definitely is an intolerant person, so none of those stances would surprise me. I agree, I believe any notions of friendship between Octavian and Nico were laughable from the start.  
  


Hopefully, game night went well, and de-escalation was successful. My friend group has been largely undramatic, apart from the growing tension between Reyna and Annabeth. It’s so obvious they like each other, but both are convinced the other’s feelings are strictly platonic. Somehow, Hazel, Frank, and I manage to all be third wheels simultaneously while Annabeth and Reyna try to figure things out. Pray for me to whichever God or gods you believe in, that I may survive this trying time.  
  


What’s your opinion on pies? This is an important question, for scientific reasons. We, that is my friends and I, have begun arguing, and the current stands are Annabeth and Reyna believe pies cannot count as desserts, and Frank and I think they can. Hazel doesn’t want to get involved, so we need a tiebreaker. Please say they can be desserts, I’m literally begging. I cannot lose to Annabeth and Reyna again, they beat me at everything. I love them for it, but I still _really_ want to beat them at some point or another. I’ll even settle for just this one victory, no matter how small it may seem.  
  


Much love,  
Jason Grace  
  


P.S. Oh dear. If it burns your eyes, just remember you asked for it (Mrs. Juno: I’m sorry, creative writing is not my forte)  
  


There once was a lad named Perseus  
Whose attitude was far from serious  
He wrote me some letters  
Really go-getters  
This poem must seem delirious  
  


44 days as of my turning in this letter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know jason wrote a limerick, do not worry.


	7. week seven

My dearest Jason,  
  


HAHAHA! AHAHA! HA! No, not long sleeve weather. Denim jackets? Hoodies? Sweatshirts? Do Californians even know what those things are? Have you ever even seen snow (not that it’ll snow while you’re here)? It gets windy, it gets cold, and from what I understand, California doesn’t really believe in “winter”. I’m going to worry about you liking New York until you actually get here, by the way, so trying to subdue me is going to get you nowhere.  
  


Maybe you should have a Disney Channel Original Movie Scene™ where you go “I don’t want to go to business school!” and your dad goes “But what about your dream, son?” and you say “Not my dream, Dad. That’s _your_ dream”. I imagine that would work stupendously (Mr. Brunner are you proud of me? I almost spelt it right on my own) on a father who never even had the time to take his son trick-or-treating. Am I still mad? Absolutely. As for my college plans, I’m probably going to go to community college for a little bit and get my pre-reqs done. Then maybe I’ll do a history-related major (Greek studies?) or creative writing. Or maybe not. School’s not really my thing, not that you can tell from my glorious blessings that you call letters.  
  


You can be Achilles, I can be Patroclus, and our ashes will be mixed together when we die.  
  


Don’t mind the tear marks on my paper, by the way, I’m just sobbing over how sweet it is of you to assume I’m a “thoroughly enjoyable” person.  
  


Whether or not Nico plans on punching Octavian varies incredibly from day to day. Thank Hazel for that message for me, please, because it is actually doing wonders on his self-control. Will hardly ever has to do the no-murder-talk, even when it’s about someone other than Octavian! What would we do without Hazel? I do know one thing that would make me like her more: if she helped me snoop :( (See, Mr. Brunner, even if I wanted to snoop, no one ~~is~~ would be willing to help me out).  
  


It’s unclear where Leo stands with Nico. I think they might have their sights on a gal in our grade? Or maybe on a guy at one of our rival schools? Not gonna lie, I can’t really keep up with their rapidly changing crushes/love life or lack thereof. 

  
PLEASE WRITE ME A LOVE LETTER, JASON. PLEASE. I WILL CRY TEARS OF ETERNAL JOY. I would really really really really really really really like it if you did. Though please elaborate on “perhaps I should give up now”. Are you planning on building up to a love letter? Are you going to seduce me? Have you already begun drafting a love letter? If you have, please send the occasional update. I know it might be hard to write one without being able to draw inspiration from the striking memory of my terrific image, so I’ll send you some help. Maybe you should talk about my eyes, people compare them to the ocean a lot. Or maybe you could mention my hair, which is ebony black (that’s how I got my name) (Mr. Brunner, I know you don’t know what I’m referencing. In case Jason doesn’t, I’m saying here it’s a reference to My Immortal, please don’t look it up). Compare me to a Roman god (admittedly, I have not been compared to a Greek god…) or a Greek hero (HAHA I haven’t been compared to a Roman hero!) (actually I’ve never heard anyone call me any of these) (it’d still be dope if you called me those things though). Is this clarification enough? If you don’t write me a love letter, I may be forced to write one myself, which would be incredibly embarrassing. For you. If I told everyone _you_ neglected to write me a love letter, especially after I sent one to you, hoo boy. You’d be the laughing stock of my school.  
  


Game night went well…? We played Among Us and Nico is not only incredibly good at that game, but he tends to get imposter a lot, which results in everyone being a bit frustrated when they die the hundredth time. Somehow, Will always gets voted out for acting suspicious, even though he’s only been the imposter, like, once? And Leo loves to tell everyone that they're the imposter, even though it’s like a 50/50 coin flip. Ah, sorry, this isn’t exactly a thrilling paragraph. Afterwards, everyone went home except for Grover and Rachel, so we played whatever game Rachel wanted to steam us in until she decided to work on art, and then Grover and I went to our favorite Minecraft world. I’m sure this is exactly the sort of paragraph you wanted when you asked about game night.  
  


I’m… so incredibly sorry… pies aren’t desserts. I love you, Jason, but they aren’t. I mean, most pies aren’t even all that sweet? Then there’s chicken pot pie (the best kind of pie, and you can fight me on it), which is a whole dinner, not a dessert. Need I go on? Desserts are cakes, and ice cream, and fancy French food, not pies or cookies or anything. Yes, I just said cookies are not a dessert. They’re a snack and you can fight me on that.

  
Please at the very least say you agree that chicken pot pie is the best kind of pie?  
  


Yours,  
Percy Jackson

P.S. You absolute fool! That’s a limerick, not a sonnet! 

  
Limerick:  
There once was a teen named Jason  
Who, while writing letters, hastened;  
He made a mistake  
Should’ve taken a break,  
Or taken more consideration

  
Sonnet:  
There are many a fool on this planet,  
(There is no use in resisting my words)  
And by our great luck, how fate has planned it,  
You’re the fool with which I have been incurred.  
“What did I do to deserve this?” I ask,  
“Whenever have I shown my own hubris?”  
Perhaps gods saw through my unwitting mask  
Betrayal the size of wretched Brutus.  
“A sonnet”, I asked, a simple request;  
Limerick is what you instead present;  
So in this post script, I prove who is best;  
But please, my dear, harbor me no resent.  
You did not realize who you had challenged,  
So your pride need not be at all damaged.

  
[Insert phrase Mr. Brunner would prefer I left out], do I have to do everything myself? 40 days!!

* * *

  
  
My dearest Perseus,

  
Okay, hint taken. I’ll bring a jacket or two. Actually, maybe I won’t, and you’ll be forced to make a difficult decision; gloat in my shiverings or lend me one of your own jackets, knowing that I may accidentally forget to give it back ;) Also, of course I’ve seen snow! Lake Tahoe is a very popular spot for Californians during the winter, so it’s only natural that I’ve gone at some point during my 17 years of life.

  
Somehow, I imagine a “Disney Channel Original Movie Scene™” would _backfire_ stupendously. I’m glad I have a champion who cares that I never got candy from strangers, though. Maybe you and my father should have a debate someday about the ethics and purpose of Halloween, especially trick-or-treating, as it pertains to children. I would like to say, by the way, that I absolutely love and adore these glorious blessings called letters, as this is by far my favorite English assignment ever. I understand what you mean about school, though, it’s not for everyone. So you’re planning on being an author if you don’t go to school?

  
Death shall not separate us, Patroclus.

  
Huzzah! Does Nico often have murderous thoughts? It’s a good thing Will and Hazel manage to keep him calm, I assume, but I guess what I’m asking is, when I meet him do I befriend him or run? If he threatens me do I laugh it off or catch a flight to Germany, change my name to Wilhelm, and slowly integrate myself into German society? Or is Germany too easy a place for him to search? Where am I safest? (Mrs. Juno, I’m not actually scared of Nico. Hazel’s stories of him makes it impossible for me to actually fear him)

  
Godspeed, Leo, here’s hoping you get the guy, gal, or nonbinary pal of your dreams!

  
… Truthfully? All three, absolutely. These letters have absolutely been designed with the sheer intention of exposing you to jokes about being in love with you, seducing you, and then sending the love letter I’ve been drafting since the day this assignment was announced. If it would be no burden to you, allow me to list a few potential lines for my love letter, and you can judge them:  
\+ You are the Roman champion of a Greek god; admirable in every same and different way, and just as contrary  
\+ Your hair is as dark as the night, and just as consuming  
\+ As easily as a sunken ship is swallowed by the sea, I find myself lost to the world by your eyes  
\+ Just as the bird loves and fears the sky, I love to be loved by you  
+Even Shakespeare himself could not express his love in a single sonnet, so how is it that I am expected to express mine in a single letter, when I love you all the better?  
+I write this praying you are not Jared, 19, because it is only in writing that I find courage  
How’re those? Too cheesy? Too real? Too fake? I’m afraid my love letter writing is a bit rusty. I would loathe to write an insufficient letter and be mocked by all the world, or at the very least, all of your world. That said, same stakes for you. Woo me. (You’ll soon find the balance between joke/dramatics and sincerity is a thin line to walk)

  
I know next to nothing about Among Us, but I suppose congratulations to Nico? Sorry to Will? I don’t even know what to say to Leo??? I’m glad you at least got to end your game night of losing horribly to all you consider near to your heart with some nice Minecraft. 

  
Speaking of losing horribly to all you consider near and dear to your heart: How dare you. How dare you come to me, in the most intimate form of conversation (a graded English assignment), and disrespect me and my one true love like this? How dare you show the blatant, flippant distaste you have for all things good and right in this world by disagreeing with my opinions on pies! Yes, chicken pot pies are the best types of pie, but they are the exception, not the rule! Pies are obviously meant to be desserts. Think about the most common, classic types of pies: pumpkin and apple. Both are desserts commonly paired with ice cream or whipped cream! That, my dear Perseus, is a dessert. Shame on you.  
  


Much love, but very hurt,  
Jason Grace

  
P.S. Oh no. That’s why Mrs. Juno had that random tangent on the importance of being able to classify types of poetry. I’m sorry! Allow me to attempt redemption:

  
I really rather like the word froggie,  
While it’s silly and childish, I see  
Love, respect, beauty, in the word froggie,  
And it beautifully loves and respects me.  
Perhaps I will, in my final letter,  
Write you something lovelier and better,  
But alas, for now, you get this clever  
Lowest energy sonnet endeavor.  
Perhaps this will teach you, dear Perseus:  
Trust me when I say I’m no Orpheus.  
While poetry is the foe Scorpius,  
I, Orion, am more than merciless.  
Were Greek references repentance enough?  
Or am I the Macbeth to your Macduff?  
  


I sincerely hope you appreciate this ~~limerick~~ sonnet more, because it was very difficult for me to write, and I’m actually fairly pleased with the outcome.  
  


36(ish) days (My counting is not that great)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dont you and the homies write letters professing your love for each other all the time? if anyone asks, they'll say no homo


	8. week eight

My dearest Jason,

  
Okay, if you’re actually planning on stealing my jackets, back off. I don’t give them out to just anybody, I’ll have you know. If you want a jacket you need to put effort into it. Also, just for your information, VACATION SNOW IS NOT THE SAME AS SNOW SNOW. Waking up to unexpected snow is amazing. Waking up to expected snow is just going with the motions. How dare you even imply they are on the same level?

  
Yeah, if I don’t go to school I’ll probably become an author. I might become an author even if I do go to school. I don’t really know, but I’m going to give it my best shot. Have you given any more thought as to what you would do if you had your Disney Channel Original Movie Scene™?

  
Nico is, in general, a murderous looking dude with an awkward, loving soul. He sure does hate certain people, but it’s usually with good reason. You can try to befriend him, but it’ll be slow going. Maybe not as slow going since you’ve been looking after his half-sister. If he threatens you, laugh it off. Unless you think he’s serious. Germany might buy you a year, max, but I recommend avoiding Europe as a whole. Especially Italian, since, duh, he’s Italian and that’s his first language and everything. I’m glad you’re not actually scared of him, because you really shouldn’t be.

  
Oh, good, this sounds exactly what I was hoping would be my penpal’s plan! Your very own three point plan for having an excuse to write a love letter. Here’s my feedback, parentheses saying your original quote:  
+8/10 - I love the imagery here and the contrast between Roman and Greek, but it did leave me a bit confused. That said, I do admire its confusing nature, and it does sound somewhat poetic for it (You are the Roman champion of a Greek god; admirable in every same and different way, and just as contrary)  
+9/10 - Pretty dope, I like that it’s sorta dark and edgy but not too dark, you know? (Your hair is as dark as the night, and just as consuming)  
+10/10 - It’s darker than the last but still COOL THING TO SAY TO SOMEONE. I need more people complimenting my eyes like this. (As easily as a sunken ship is swallowed by the sea, I find myself lost to the world by your eyes)  
+8/10 - Do birds fear the sky? Do you fear me loving you? A little more context required here. (Just as the bird loves and fears the sky, I love to be loved by you)  
+10/10 - Drag Shakespeare through the mud like that, heck yeah. Love me more than he loved Anne Hathaway, double heck yeah. All in all, 10 heck yeahs out of 10. (Even Shakespeare himself could not express his love in a single sonnet, so how is it that I am expected to express mine in a single letter, when I love you all the better?)  
+11/10 - Vine references always win. Plus the yearning vibes it gives off to me, an impressive balance. (I write this praying you are not Jared, 19, because it is only in writing that I find courage)  
They’re all very good but I can definitely see why you called your writing style pretentious earlier. It really shone through here. Not in a bad way at all, though, pretentiousness can really sell a love letter. I’m going to let you be surprised by my letter, though. No sneak peaks for you. I hope all of these metaphors/similes make the final cut, though, because they’re all perfect.

  
You should play Among Us, it’s a really good game. Except when you get stuck with bad people in your game. Then it’s just frustrating. And hey, at least I didn’t lose to  _ all  _ I call dear; my mom and stepdad didn’t beat me, my siblings didn’t beat me, you didn’t beat me. So I cannot say I completely agree with your summary of my night.

  
All I got out of your paragraph is “chicken pot pies are the best types of pie”, and I gotta say, glad you agree with me so wholeheartedly. Chicken pot pies  _ are  _ the best. That, my dear Jason, is pure fact. Thank you.  
  


I’m not putting this in the post script to show exactly how angry I am at you. YOU CANNOT COMPARE YOURSELF TO SHAKESPEARE AND THEN SEND ME A NON-SHAKESPEAREAN SONNET. It SHOULD have been  
A (ten syllables)  
B (ten syllables)  
A (ten syllables)  
B (ten syllables)  
C (ten syllables)  
D (ten syllables)  
C (ten syllables)  
D (ten syllables)  
E (ten syllables)  
F (ten syllables)  
E (ten syllables)  
F (ten syllables)  
G (ten syllables)  
G (ten syllables)  
Not whatever shameful abomination you sent me. The only thing you did right was the Greek references. I am shaking my head so hard at your letter right now. And to think,  _ you’re  _ the classics fan and  _ I’m  _ the lowly writer. Shame on you, Jason. Shame. On. You.

  
Yours,  
Percy Jackson  
  


P.S. I loved the Greek references. Especially the Scorpius bit but it took me a Google search to get the Macbeth one. Yet another reason why you are wrong in not doing a Shakespearean sonnet.  
  


32 days!

* * *

  
  


My dearest Perseus,

  
I shall immediately begin my grand scheming which will undoubtedly end in my possessing some number of your jackets. Any number. Please give me at least one jacket. Also, fine, I’ve only ever seen vacation snow, but it can’t be  _ that  _ different from regular snow, can it?  
  


Where would you live as an author? Roommates? Pets? I haven’t come up with a plan I’d use if I did have my Disney Channel Original Movie Scene™, but I think I’d like to live somewhere different from where I currently live. Washington, maybe, or the East Coast. Pennsylvania sounds nice theoretically.  
  


How’s my revised Nico Escape Plan? I either learn Japanese and integrate into Tokyo society or I move to the middle of nowhere in Australia. Either he won’t find me due to the sheer size of the population or he won’t find me due to the sheer size of the location. Better yet, I just won’t make Nico mad at me, then I won’t need these crazy escape plans. Wins all around, I think. Nico doesn’t have to waste his time hunting me down, I don’t need to move to a new country, and you don’t have to be deprived of my regular correspondence!  
  


Your feedback was incredibly helpful, thank you. Now I have a better idea as to how to write you a better love letter, so there’s that. Also please, I really want a sneak peak at yours. It's only fair :(  
  


Aw, you consider me near and dear in your heart? I'm honored. Now I just need to gang up on you with your friends and family. Beware the power you've just given me.  
  


Generally, I personally avoid using all capitals in my letter writing, simply because it makes it all the more impactful when I do use them. That said, NO! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU TAKE MY WORDS OUT OF CONTEXT IN SUCH AN EXTREME? Pies are delicious, especially of the chicken pot variety BUT THEY ARE GENERALLY CONSIDERED DESSERTS. Gah!!! I… am so hurt right now. So betrayed.  
  


On the flip side, I absolutely did not expect you to get this heated over a sonnet. I warned you that my sonnet would be awful, and yet you still asked! I warn you off with a bad limerick, totally on purpose, and instead you mock me and ask for a real sonnet! I write a sonnet, and you’re disappointed. I’m no writer, I’m no poet, I can only write when truly inspired. Would you be so cruel as to mock a fish for being unable to run? Just because I can write a pretentiously worded letter doesn’t mean I can write a good sonnet. How do you know Shakespeare's sonnet patterns if you don’t like classics? I’m glad you liked the Greek references, at least.  
  


I realized that we've both discussed our friends, addressed our English teachers, described our schools, and mentioned our families, but I don't know what an average day in the life of you looks like. For instance, I tend to wake up at six in the morning. I take a shower, I eat a hearty breakfast, and I go to school. I have American Literature (hi, Mrs. Juno), AP U.S. History, Web Design, Latin 3, then lunch. I typically either buy lunch from school or my friends and I will go to our local pizza chain. Then, I have Precalculus, Chemistry, and Astronomy. After school, depending on the day and time of the year, I either have football practice, debate, or student council. I go home, eat dinner, do homework, go to sleep. Rinse and repeat. So what does your general day-to-day schedule look like?  
  


Much love,  
Jason Grace  
  


P.S. Seriously, how did you happen to recognize I didn’t write a Shakespearean sonnet but didn’t recognize a reference to/don’t know the basic plot to the famous Shakespeare play Macbeth?

  
29 days!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had so much trouble finishing jasons letter,,,,,, if anyone wants to see anything in particular in this fic just lmk id love some more ideas lmao


	9. week nine

My dearest Jason,  
  


You want _any_ number of my jackets? Ooh. You’re lucky I like my jackets because I’m spiteful enough to send you home with all the jackets I possess, just for your foolish words. I’m like a genie, I don’t care about trickery benefiting me, I’m mischievous for mischief’s sake. If you asked for any number of my jackets and I was willing to part with them all, you’d be taking home _all_ of my jackets and _all_ of my sweatshirts and _all_ of my sweaters. You wouldn’t have room for all of them, believe you me. I’m going to pretend you agreed that vacation snow and snow snow are totally different, by the way, so.  
  


Where would I live as an author? Well, after living here for 17 years, I’ve been properly disenchanted with New York City, so definitely not here. Honestly? Preferably no where on the East Coast, even though I’d miss my family, just because I don’t really Love It Here™. Not to be a copycat, but Washington does sound nice. Maybe Seattle. I don’t know, I don’t really love the idea of living anywhere at all, making it hard to pick a place to go after graduation. Roommates, I don’t know. I’d like to have them, but I don’t know who. People I like, people I know and who know me. People I can do dumb stuff with (curses, Mr. Brunner). People I can play Mario Kart 64 at 3 A.M. with, I think, is my minimum requirement. If I can’t play Mario Kart 64 with them when we should be sleeping, then I don’t want to live with them at all. As for pets, I think maybe a cat. I love Mrs. O’Leary, but she’s a lot to take care of. I want to get an indoor cat so I don’t have to walk them, and they can curl up on my lap while I work. Or get in my way. Either one works.  
  


Your revised Nico Escape Plan is definitely planned out a bit better than your previous plan was. However, I liked your final version most. Not angering Nico, challenging though it may be, is infinitely easier than running from him. And, as you said, I’d hate, loathe even, to have your letters lose their regular schedule. Not being able to guess when your next letter would arrive could be absolutely devastating to me.   
  


FINE, I’ll share ONE of my potential lines with you. “You’re better than chicken pot pie”. How’s that? Hmm? Happy now? Huh? Punk.   
  


“Pies are delicious, especially of the chicken pot pie variety”? First of all, HAHA NERD. Second of all, heck yeah, I completely agree with you, and there’s nothing else worth addressing in that paragraph, so here’s where my own paragraph will end.  
  


The answer is yes. I would be so cruel as to mock a fish for being unable to run. In fact, I now recall my brother’s pet goldfish at home, Bessie, who I’ve never seen run once in her existence. Pathetic little fish. Never had a leg day and it shows, because her legs are so puny, you can’t see them at all. It’s a vicious, vicious world out there, Jason, and if a fish cannot run, how can it expect to outlast when being chased by Usain Bolt, the only known predator of Every Fish To Ever Exist, Ever. Also, I can recognize Shakespearean sonnets because that’s what writers do. Or some writers. I can mimic writing styles, I like putting the most bull (Mr. Brunner…) pretentious wording into a Shakespearean sonnet format and then claiming it to be Sonnet 37. Nobody knows what Sonnet 37 is off the top of their head, so only real nerds call me out on it.  
  


I feel hurt that you think we’re running out of topics, because I can’t imagine any other reason to ask for my daily schedule. I get up, sometimes I eat breakfast and sometimes I don’t, I go to school, I work, I come home. Bam.  
  


Now on to some real juicy gossip. Guess who got _INJURED_ ? Settle down, dear Jason, for it is story time.  
  


The first mistake the gods made was creating Perseus Jackson with such incredible skateboarding skill. Their second mistake was gifting him with genius friends. Their third and final mistake was making Halloween happen on a Saturday.  
  


Our dashing protagonist, Percy, was staying the night at Nico’s house, a good friend of his whose house was bigger than the average New York City apartment. Many of his friends were there; the humble and dashing Grover, the artistic and terrifying Rachel, the genius and talented Piper, and (as the narrator grew bored of assigning two adjectives to each member of the party) Will, Leo, Thalia, and Nico (obviously). The night’s plans were simple at first; everyone would come over after school, goof off, and eventually get some sleep. The next day, donning their magnificent costumes, they would wreak innocent havoc on the town. However, as the night progressed, the gang decided to take pictures as ghosts, wearing white sheets over their heads.  
  


Piper and Percy got the brilliant idea of a ghost riding a skateboard- but Piper left her skateboard at home! So brave young Perseus wore his sheet with pride, sunglasses elegantly shoved on on top, as he rolled down the street. Unable to see, he hit a rock, and ended up falling off his skateboard! Because he pulled the funky fresh move of wearing knee and elbow pads, he luckily did _not_ break his arm as he should have, but instead received scratches and bruises. So many scratches and bruises.  
  


Nothing, however, hurt quite as badly as his bruised ego.  
  


Then he had a baller Halloween the next night.  
  


How was your Halloween? PLEASE tell me you got to dress up this year?  
  


Yours,  
Percy Jackson  
  


P.S. I don’t know Macbeth’s plot because I’m not a lame loser who reads Shakespeare.  
  


25 days!

* * *

My dearest Perseus,  
  


Honestly, I would not complain if a genie gave me all of your sweaters and sweatshirts and jackets. I’ll take them all. You were so high and mighty about the snow before, so how will it feel to be entirely deprived of warmth every time you leave the house in winter? I imagine it doesn’t feel quite so great now, does it?  
  


By the way, somehow I hadn’t pegged you as mischievous for mischief’s sake. Now that you’ve proclaimed yourself as such, I see it. I don’t know why, exactly, but I can imagine you and Leo and maybe even Nico getting into prank wars. Please tell me you’ve gotten into prank wars, and if so, please tell me some of the tales from them.  
  


Your roommate just needs to be able to play Mario Kart 64 with you? That’s slightly specific. What if they’re only willing to play Mario Kart on the DSi? Is that just tough luck for them? They’re disqualified just like that? What if they say “Oh, honestly, I’m more of a PlayStation gamer myself. Maybe we could play Grand Theft Auto instead of Mario Kart?” or something of the like? Would you spurn them, reject them, because they prefer a different gaming console? Why not play on the Wii? I have so many questions, but also not enough knowledge, so please use layman’s terms when addressing this paragraph.   
  


Yes, it is exactly as I planned. You have admitted to a dependence on my letters (“Not being able to guess when your next letter would arrive could be absolutely devastating to me” is _pretty_ suspicious, Perseus, I hate to admit it) and thus my three point plan to write a love letter to my penpal continues onwards. A victory for love letter enthusiasts everywhere.  
  


That line (“you’re better than chicken pot pie”) is good. It lacks dramatics but I appreciate the heartfelt compliment all the same. Thank you, Percy. I think you’re better than chicken pot pie, too. I am happy now, so truly: thank you. Punk.  
  


Actually, I take it back, you aren’t better than chicken pot pie, and that is because you promptly began to _bully_ me the paragraph after that beautiful compliment! This is slander, this is defamation, this is why I trust no one but myself and Reyna’s two dogs. You can’t even acknowledge my argument, you heathen!   
  


I must admit, though. I really thought I got you with the fish mocking thing, but then you just owned it. Poor Bessie, your brother’s fish, forced to be attacked by Usain Bolt. Actually, how on Earth did you come up with that? Why would Usain Bolt be the fish’s only natural predator? I am, to say the least, incredibly baffled and vaguely impressed. To follow your subject change: that sounds absolutely hilarious. When you recite “Sonnet 37”, do you ever have people pretend to know it, or try to analyze it? That is absolutely golden.  
  


I didn’t mean to imply our letters were boring, by the way. I was simply trying to show an interest in your classes and your daily schedule. When does sword fighting fit into your day? When you say work, do you mean a job, or do you mean on homework? If you have a job, what is it? What classes are you taking, and when do you receive and read my letters?  
  


That story was absolutely magnificent. I’m sorry to hear about your bruised ego, but honestly, if anything, you should be rejoicing. You could’ve broken an arm! Getting away with mere scratches and bruises is quite fortunate in my opinion. I imagine you made quite the spooky ghost, though, and I sincerely hope that pictures will be provided for me come my class's visit.  
  


My Halloween was great, albeit not nearly as remarkable as yours seemed to have been. Yes, I dressed as Jason, and yes, I have pictures, and yes, Annabethe laughed when I pulled out my yellow rug. She was dressed as a book character, though, and I got my chance to heckle her back. Reyna dressed up as a character from the same book. Speaking of Reyna and Annabeth, sweet hallelujah, they’re finally together. Hazel, Frank, and I managed to force them to tell each other their feelings, and now we’re all third wheels. Sweet victory only faintly tainted by bitterness. Frank dressed up as a hockey player and Hazel was a witch. We didn’t really go out, just dressed up for the kids who came trick-or-treating and watching movies. We made it through all of one horror movie when Frank asked that we watched literally anything else. Poor Frank, the only one who didn’t like watching scary movies.  
  


Love,  
Jason  
  


P.S. I’m pretty sure you’re the lame loser, because Shakespeare is actually pretty cool. 22 days!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so good news, i figured out what i wanted to do the next couple chapters. bad news, if this chapter felt like filler, thats because it was. but dont worry im working on it!


	10. week ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please read the chapter end notes for an important (though regrettably long) note from me

My dearest Jaon,  
  


Oh, how cruel! You’d rather I froze to death than be a little smug about having seen snow? I have never known betrayal to this degree, you cruel, cruel man.  
  


Oh my God, have I the tales to tell about pranks and Leo. Impressive call with Nico, by the way, because he usually will spend the entirety preaching about how dumb and immature mine and Leo’s prank wars are, only to reveal half of the pranks we retaliated against was actually his doing. Leo is scary to have a prank war with, though, because they are scary good with machines and the like, meaning they can pull really good pranks. Honestly, I don’t even know why they go to school when they could be working for any number of technological companies. They love building tech, too, so it’s not even a matter of disinterest, to my understanding. I don’t know. It’s weird.  
  


I would die before rooming with someone who prefers any console over good ol’ Nintendo. Mario Kart is better than literally any other racing/car game, ever. If they only play more updated versions of Mario Kart, then they’re on thin ice. I prefer the N64 over the Wii because I never had a Wii growing up, so an N64 is what I’m most used to. It’s also what I’m taking with me when I leave home, so I’ll already have Mario Kart 64. I’ll only play updated versions of Mario Kart with my roommate if _they_ provide the game.  
  


I’m glad my dependence on your letters for entertainment and weekly serotonin plays right into your evil love letter writing scheme.

  
The chicken pot pie compliment _was_ pretty good, wasn’t it? Thank goodness you know how to appreciate a good compliment. Dramatics aren’t all that required for a good love letter, so that compliment is staying in. Punk.  
  


I legit don’t remember what I wrote to slander you, but I’ll believe it happened because you may be a dramatic dork, but you aren’t a liar.  
  


Usain Bolt is the only natural predator of fish, it says so on his Wikipedia page. I don’t know why he is, maybe he just likes to eat fish. Similarly, I am the only natural predator of flies. And yes, sometimes, if I meet someone who goes above and beyond in pretension, they will pretend to know what I claim to be Sonnet 37. I’ve never had anyone analyze my sonnets though, and I don’t know how I feel about that. On one hand, I don’t put a lot of double meaning into my poetry, but on the other hand it’d be dope to see what nonsense people would claim I had masterfully included in my work.  
  


Sorry for misunderstanding, then. I don’t really think my schedule is that interesting. But to answer your questions… sword fighting is on Tuesdays and Saturdays. By work, I meant homework and my job; I work at a sandwich place a block away from my home. I’m taking Algebra II, Health, English 3 (hello, Mr. Brunner, also when I receive your letters), American History, lunch, Creative Writing, Physics, and Game Design. Usually, I’ll read your letters during English when I get them, but if I don’t have a chance to then, I’ll read it the first time during lunch. I typically read your letters a couple of times to make sure I read it all right and I’ll start writing my response that evening or Saturday morning.  
  


I made an AMAZING ghost, and yes, I’ll provide pictures when I see you(!!). They look pretty neat, if I do say so myself. Minus the one where I’m falling off my skateboard, that one has been purged from Nico’s camera.  
  


YOU GOT A YELLOW RUG FOR YOUR COSTUME? That’s absolutely amazing. Thank God Annabeth as there to heckle your costume, because glorious as I’m sure it was, it also sounds slightly extremely ridiculous. Double thank God that Annabeth and Reyna got together. Good for them, and for you, Frank, and Hazel for being the change you wanted to see in the world. Poor Frank, though, with the horror movies. What movies did you watch instead? Hocus Pocus? Nightmare Before Christmas? Please tell me you think Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween movie before a Christmas movie, I don’t think my heart could bear the burden of you considering it a Christmas movie first and foremost.  
  


Love,  
Percy Jackson  
  


P.S. No comment on Shakespeare other than pretty sure that he is not cool. 18 days!

* * *

My dearest Perseus,  
  


Yes, I am so cruel, nothing would warm my frozen heart more than you being jacketless in a snowstorm. Just kidding, naturally, I would be devastated if something would befall you in your jacketless state.  
  


Cheater! You dodged the question! Where are my glorious prank tales? Where are my legendary Leo prank machines? Where is my Top 10 Times Nico Turned Out To Be The Ultimate Prankster video? Where is my humorous and wittingly told tale of your daring escape from the clutches of a deathtrap prank set by Leo and/or Nico? The insight, by the way, regarding Leo’s genius status is appreciated if not an unfortunate tangent that distracted you from writing a Homeric style epic narrating your most daring prank war.  
  


I suppose that’s good justification for why you prefer Mario Kart 64 over every other car game ever. A bit of an intense sentiment, but seems to be understandable. All in all, fair enough.  
  


Dramatics, by the way, absolutely _are_ required in a proper love letter. Love letters are mostly a thing of the past; occasionally used, but most remembered as useful only for those yearning in the days of yore, when you weren’t allowed within five feet of your fiance unless you were being carefully watched. Naturally, that didn’t allow much privacy, so love letters were where they really went all-out in declaring their continued love for each other. Do not do such an injustice to love letters.  
  
  
Please forgive me for skipping over your interesting fact about the Usain Bolt Wikipedia page (I couldn't find anything on there, though, supporting your claims) and forgive me for breezing over you being the natural predator to flies. I am deeply and truly sorry about your lack of sonnet analysis. In fact, I say we change this at once; I beg you, send me your absolute best Sonnet 37 and I'll analyze it. I'll analyze it with the pretension of a thousand English majors.  
  


Thank you for sharing your schedule. Was that so hard? :(  
  


Noooo, you purged the falling ghost picture? That would’ve been so funny to see, though. Curses on you, and on Nico for allowing you to delete that picture.  
  


Yes, I got a yellow rug for my costume :) My costume was absolutely not heckle-worthy, though, and I’m offended that you think it was. But oh my goodness, yes, I agree. Finally, Annabeth and Reyna are no longer my problem. They can be each other’s problem in that gross way people are when they’re in a relationship. We did, indeed, watch Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and other movies of the sorts. Frank was much happier to watch those, and I learned that night that Hazel knows all the words to all the songs in Nightmare Before Christmas which, unfortunately for you, is more of an edgy, spooky Christmas movie than a Halloween movie. I mean, it has Christmas in the name, and most of it takes place after Halloween/in preparation for Christmas/on Christmas itself. I’m surprised you care so much about dubbing Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween movie. Need I remind you of your previously highly intense feelings regarding “punk/emo/whatever”?  
  


On to a slightly more serious topic before I finish my letter. I was wondering if you could pass along a message to Nico. My entire friend group is worried about Hazel. Octavian’s been acting particularly nasty towards her these days, and while we try to protect her from him, there’s not a whole lot we can do without missing our own classes and after school obligations. I don’t think she’s in danger, per se, but she definitely doesn’t seem quite as happy as she was back in September. I know I haven’t known her for very long, and that’s why my friend group is hoping you, Leo, and/or Will can pass along our message asking Nico to get in touch with us somehow, so that we can all keep an eye on Hazel together. We all think he’d have better insight as to whether or not something was the matter with his sister.  
  


Love,  
Jason  
  


P.S. SHAKESPEARE IS, TOO, COOL. I SPIT ON THE GROUND YOU STAND ON. 15 days!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this morning (09/30/2020), i received some pretty rough family news that i wont get into here. it definitely impacted my creativity, and i really struggled to write this chapter so i just want to give you all a fair warning: i dont know what my creativity is going to look like over the span of the next 3 to 6 months. on one hand, this fic might become a coping mechanism of sorts, and on the other hand, i might end up updating really slowly. i already have a good chunk of the next two chapters written- i just need to finish up a couple paragraphs for chapter 11, and i have no more than a quarter of chapter 12 written. from there, depending on how im feeling, i might have to cut out chapters/scenes i had accounted for but not completely planned out. basically, this is what im saying:
> 
> +updates are likely going to slow down even more; rather than an update every day/every three days, i probably will not update any more than once a week, and likely less than that, though the opposite *COULD* be true
> 
> +the fic only has a handful of chapters left that i accounted for, though i was considering adding more. im no longer really considering adding to this fic, but instead, i am considering shortening it
> 
> +if there's anything you want to see, any passing ideas you might like in this fic, please feel free to comment about it. i am welcoming any sense of direction to include in these chapters, because it's really hard to come up with it myself in my current state. this means headcanons, this means side ships, this means events and references and conversation topics. the world (er- i can only legally say this fic) is your oyster
> 
> +i am not abandoning this fic, i just might not be in the right mindset to write fluff/get-together for a hot second, and humor is becoming harder too
> 
> +thank you all for the support you've been giving me; every time i check ao3 and see this fic has another kudos, or another bookmark, or best of all a comment, i feel so incredibly happy. thank you all for reading, giving kudos, etc.. if for no other reason, i will finish this fic because i feel there is an interest in it. until my next update (which, considering i wrote most of it before receiving my news, should be soon), godspeed


	11. week eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case the time line isnt clear: the pen pal project is a semester long project. there's 11 weeks, then theres two weeks off where everyone meets their pen pals, then theres two more weeks, then the rest of the semester is allowing kids to make up missed deadlines for the project/catch up on letters.

Octavian,  
  


Does the name Hazel Levesque mean anything to you? I have heard from a good source that you have been harassing a girl with this name at your school, and thought it proper that I center my letter around that fact.  
  


I first met my half sister two summers ago, and she quickly became one of the most important people in my life. While there’s no physical similarity between the two of us, and indeed little common ground in the ways of history and interests, I care for her as a brother should care for his sister; intensely, and protectively. So imagine how I might have reacted when being told that none other than my awful penpal has been the reason for her emotional distress these past few weeks. Imagine the rage that began to build up within me, the righteous, all-encompassing rage that consumed me, pointing out you as the cause of this all.  
  


I can say, definitively and without a doubt, that you are my least favorite person on the planet. More than I hate the mosquito that bites in the forest, or the fly that pesters in the home. I have one sister left, and the fact that you are her biggest source of grief makes you my biggest source of anger.  
  


Stop harassing Hazel Levesque, before I make you stop when I see you.  
  


I hate your guts,  
Nico di Angelo

* * *

Hey Annabeth!!!

  
Okay, you’re superultrasmart in most things and all that but you really don’t know enough about math to be arguing me on this. Trust me when I say my logic is perfectly intact.  
  


I’m glad your date with Reyna went so well! At least one of our romantic prospects are looking up. Pray for me, Annabeth, that I may soon find myself someone to love.

  
Speaking of romantic prospects, OH MY GOD. It brings me comfort to know that Jason is being EVERY BIT AS ANNOYING about his super obvious crush as Percy is being. Like, you even  _ mention  _ anything VAGUELY related to his English class and all of a sudden he starts PINING. He’s all “Jason actually dressed up as Jason for Halloween like I told him to!” or “Jason signs his letters with ‘love’, do you think he might like me?” or “Piper, I want to give Jason one of my jackets, which one should I give him?” like HOLY COW. I guess that’s karma for gushing to him about Nico. Point taken, God, from now on, I will strictly confine all of my gushing to one (1) Piper McLean. Her acearo-ness spares me the karma. She also gives way better advice than Percy ever did, so there’s definitely that. Actually, come to think of it, everyone goes to her to gush or ask for advice. Maybe I should find someone else to gush to, I’m starting to feel bad for her.

  
I passed your message about Hazel on to Nico, and Percy and Will did the same. He did not take it well, and immediately began writing a letter to Octavian, right at the lunch table. He kept muttering in Italian, and it was very scary. I’m glad I’m not Octavian, to say the least. I hope Hazel’s okay. I’d give her a cookie if it were physically possible.

  
I’m having some difficulties working on Project Festus because people keep moving my stuff, so nothing exciting to report there. Thanks for showing an interest, though, I’ll definitely keep you posted. Fools are out here thinking I’ll use my brain for the greater good, as if the possibility of creating a metal dragon isn’t totally better than creating the latest iPhone or whatever.  
  


Thanks again for recommending that mythology podcast to me, it’s really nice to play while doing the quiet stuff for Festus, you know, the coding and the blueprinting and the math and stuff. I don’t know how much of it is actually being processed in my brain but I had a dream I got stuck on Calypso’s island the other night, so I guess there’s that! Obviously something is sticking. I am becoming a Man Of The World (Enby Of The World?).  
  


Let me know if you have any more audiobook or podcast recs!  
  


See you soon!  
Leo Valdez

* * *

Dear Frank,

  
Percy, Leo, and I told Nico about Octavian’s wrongdoing on Friday after reading your letter. Nico was not too pleased to hear it, as I’m sure you can imagine. The rest of the day, (weekend, really) he was speaking with a really heavy Italian accent, which almost exclusively happens when he’s extremely upset. Now  _ I’m  _ upset because  _ he’s  _ upset and overall, I’m not really looking forward to Nico meeting Octavian. It’s going to be disastrous; best case, Nico’s angry for at least the rest of the semester. Worst case, I’m afraid Nico might get suspended.

  
Potato sounds absolutely adorable. How do you find so many friendly strays? All the cats here in New York seem to have a built in attack-on-sight instinct, at least in regards to me. I suppose it helps that you were providing her with so much water while she was dehydrated. It’s great that she and Kitty are getting along well. Kitty was the one who lost her siblings, right? Sounds like she could use the friends.

  
I completely understand what you mean. Just because your situation in California is better than it was in Vancouver doesn’t mean you can’t miss your old life. Living in New York is so much better for me than living in Texas was, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss my friends every day. I miss my brother, and my dog, and my old house. I hope your visit with your grandmother in December goes great.

  
Leo and I agree that someone has to do something about Percy and Jason. I’m trying really hard to be patient, because I remember when I first started liking Nico and I would talk my sister’s ear off endlessly, but it’s only going to get worse when they meet in person. I mean, it might get better but then we’ll have a sad Percy on our hands, so I’m kind of hoping it gets worse, almost. Basically, what I’m saying is, if we can get those two together in November, that will save us a world of annoyance later on. A small world of annoyance. They’ll probably still be a bit annoying.

  
I gotta say, I’m jealous that you’re that good at archery. Not because I’m actually interested in it, but because I suck at it and my sister, Kayla, won’t stop bugging me about giving it a shot. Congrats on winning your competition, though! You can certainly consider me highly impressed!

  
I suppose the next time you’ll hear from me, we’ll be meeting face to face, so in the meantime: stay safe, and I’ll meet you soon!  
  


Sincerely,  
Will Solace

* * *

Dear Nico,

  
Please don’t worry too much about me. I know Jason and Annabeth and Frank have been telling your friends that Octavian’s been awful to me recently, and that I’ve been acting differently, but it’s not true. They worry too much, and don’t understand me well enough to know that this is simply how I am. I go through my periods of energy, where I’m excited and talkative and moon eyed about the world, and then I go through times when I’m quiet, subdued, disenchanted. I imagine you understand these periods better than most; while you tend to go light on your positive cycles, I know winter is harder for you than it is for most.  
  


You might be wondering why I choose to write this letter instead of calling or texting you. I know this is a much less effective method of communication, but it comes with its own benefits. Hang on to this letter, brother. I’ve touched this paper with my own hands, and perhaps this will lend you strength when your anger threatens to get the better of you.  
  


I love you greatly, and I want nothing more than for you to stay safe. I’ll see you in December.

  
Your sister,  
Hazel

* * *

To: hermia.juno@ student.centurion.edu  
From: chris.brunner@ student.nysd.edu  
Subject: Octavian August and Nico di Angelo  
Date: 11/16/2020, 2:37 PM  
  


Ms. Juno,

  
As this pen pal project goes on, it brings me great joy to witness, at least from my limited perspective, the growing friendships between our students. The intellectually stimulating conversations Leo Valdez appears to be having with his penpal, Annabeth Chase, for instance, shows the exact outcome we hoped for when first planning this project.

  
However, I am growing concerned when reading the letters Nico di Angelo is sending Octavian August; it seems as though they are provoking and antagonising each other. Nico is naturally cold and distant usually, so I’m not so overly concerned, but I was hoping that I could receive your input, as someone who knows Octavian and is reading his end of their correspondence.

  
Hopefully, I am misreading these letters. Apart from this pair, this project appears to be going smoothly. I know my students are extremely excited to meet your classes.

  
Thank you for your time,  
Chris Brunner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, thats the end of the first "act". the next chapter/maybe two chapters will take a much longer time to write because its about the field trip (for more details as to why it'll take a while, see the end notes on chapter 10). until i update next, godspeed, and as always: feel free to comment any headcanons you'd like to see added to this fic!!
> 
> also also im not adding chiron/mr. brunner to tagged characters because hes in it but like. probably just for a couple scenes in the next few chapters and this one email. if someone is looking for chiron fics i dont want to clog this up lmao.
> 
> also also also nico is a dramatic lil bitch in this because thats how he was always meant to be imo
> 
> sorry one last also also also also: yes i made piper acearo. why? self indulgence. i will not be taking objections, have a wonderful day.


	12. part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part one of jason and percy meeting in person

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> theres markedly more cursing in this chapter than in previous chapters but worry not, they are all minor swears.
> 
> TW: mentions of homophobic slurs (no actual slur appears), death threat, allusions to death (I KNOW THIS ALL SOUNDS BAD BUT FEAR NOT THIS IS STILL A FLUFFY FIC AND ITS ALL PRETTY VAGUE)

Percy sat on the back of the park bench, feet planted firmly on the seat of it below him. Leo was perched at his feet, and Will and Nico were leaning against the tree a couple feet away. Piper sat next to Leo, and Percy couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous. Neither Rachel nor Grover had been able to sneak their way into the park amongst Mr. Brunner’s class, citing their own plans for the day, so Percy was left without any real emotional support.

Piper glanced back at Percy and rolled her eyes, probably at the undoubtedly agitated expression on Percy’s face. “Oh, relax,” she told him. “You and Jason are going to get along great, instantly fall in love, blah blah blah, whatever it is you’re worried about.”

Percy sputtered, but before he could respond, Leo talked over him, saying, “Yeah, at least you aren’t Nico. Be glad you actually _like_ the person you’re meeting.”

“Like is an understatement,” Piper said, mouth flicking up in a grin.

“Ms. McLean,” Mr. Brunner’s stern voice said as he wheeled his chair over towards the trio. From the corner of his eye, Percy noticed Nico and Will look up, intrigued. “While I’m delighted you are finding time to spend outside, I must remind you that you are not in my class. Please do not be disrupting my field trip.”

“No worries, Mr. Brunner,” Piper replied innocently. She held up her skateboard. “I’m just here to skate. Complete coincidence that I ran into my friends here, I swear. We were just chatting.”

“Mhm.” Mr. Brunner raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing Piper. He must’ve decided there wasn’t much he could do about that, though, because he just sighed and said “Right then. Enjoy your Saturday” before turning his wheelchair and rolling away.

“Nice one, Pipes,” Percy snickered once Mr. Brunner was out of earshot. “Real smooth.”

“Oh, shut up,” she retorted. Then she stood up. “Looks like your friends are almost here, so I’m gonna go skate around the park. Signal me if your pen pal turns out to be an ass and I’ll hit them with my skateboard.” She locked eyes with Nico at that last part. “You hear me? ‘Cause I’m not kidding.”

Nico nodded with an awkward thumbs up, and Piper clipped her helmet strap under her chin.

“Smell ya later, dorks,” she said, and then she was gone.

“Truly a goddess among men,” Leo said, a hand held over their heart. “Bless her soul.”

Percy nodded absently, looking out across the street. Sure enough, there was a hoard of high schoolers shuffling down the street, in two neat lines. Piper was right: they were probably the kids from Centurion. There certainly wasn’t any other reason Percy could think of that would compel about sixty 16 and 17 year olds to line up and walk down the street together. Percy cursed under his breath as his eyes raked over the group; Jason had sent that drawing of him way back in September (he would not go so far as to pull the picture out of where it was hiding in his jacket pocket), but Percy still had no clue how tall Jason was, or what his hair color was, or his skin tone.

His crowd searching came to a halt as, while the class was crossing the street, Percy saw a person he recognized- a person he recognized from Facebook pictures his mom showed him and from memories worn with age. “Holy shit, Frank?” he yelped.

Leo glanced back at Percy. “Who the hell is Frank?”

“He’s my cousin,” Percy said, gawking at Frank from across the street. “From my dad’s side, which is why I haven’t seen him in years. I don’t think he even knows I’m trans…”

Leo followed Percy’s gaze. “Which one is he?” they asked.

Before Percy could try to point him out, Mr. Brunner called to his classes: “As I’m sure you’ve all noticed, Mrs. Juno and her students have arrived. If you could please gather with your classes so we can find your pen pals more efficiently, that would be greatly appreciated.”

Percy stood up, hand whipping back and forth in anxious energy. Will glanced away from Nico and looked instead at Percy, eyebrows scrunched sympathetically. “Hey, it’ll be okay,” Will said, giving Percy a hefty pat on the shoulder.

As if the pat knocked something loose in Percy’s head, he had a sudden epiphany. “Wait a minute. Your pen pal’s name is Frank, right? Any chance his last name is Zhang?”

Will blinked, seeming startled by Percy’s 180 in attitude. “Um. Yeah, actually.”

“He’s my cousin,” Percy explained. “I just realized when I saw him crossing the street.” By now, Mrs. Juno was giving last reminders to her students, something Mr. Brunner had done this morning when they all met up. Percy could easily see Frank, who was standing at the outermost edge of the group next to two blond haired kids (a guy and a gal who could’ve been twins), and so Percy pointed him out to Will, and Leo and Nico who were listening in curiously.

“Oh!” Will seemed a little unsure of what else to say. “I guess I’ll tell him you said hi…?”

Percy hesitated. “Um. He doesn’t know me as Percy, so maybe just refer to me as his cousin? I’ll tell him when I get a second.”

But he didn’t really need a second; Mr. Brunner was now approaching Mrs. Juno’s class and pointing them in the right direction. As luck would have it, Frank was one of the first kids Mr. Brunner approached. Percy couldn’t hear anything, but he saw Mr. Brunner rifle through his clipboard, then gestured towards Will. Frank and the two blonds all walked towards Percy and his friends, and suddenly, it hit Percy that that blond boy could very easily be Jason. His hair was styled vaguely similar to the style shown in Hazel’s drawing, and as he approached, Percy could make out a scar on his lip.

 _It’s him!_ was all Percy would think for a second. Then _he’s cute._ Jason was tall, and had eyes that were bright blue- really, the only eyes that compared were Thalia’s- and he ran a hand through his hair in what Percy thought could have been nervousness. And Percy couldn’t breathe for a hot second.

Then, contrary to every instinct in his body, Percy turned to Frank. “Hey, Frank. Um, I’m not sure if you recognize me, but-”

“Perseus!” Frank cried with a grin, pulling Percy into a bear hug. “I’ve missed you.”

“Uh, how did you, y’know… know my name and all that?” Percy asked, stiff and confused.

Frank pulled out of the hug, bumping Percy’s shoulder with a closed fist. “Grandma’s Facebook friends with your mom. She told me when your mom posted about your legal name change.”

“Oh,” Percy said, feeling a bit stupid. Leo cleared their throat dramatically.

“Please excuse my foolish friend,” they said, addressing the trio. “I’m Leo. Do any of you happen to be Annabeth?”

Percy turned to the group, trying not to let his embarrassment show. When he turned, he ended up making dead eye contact with Jason and he suddenly remembered. _Oh, yeah,_ he thought, face growing warm. _Oops._ He was vaguely aware of the blond girl responding to Leo, and then it was just Jason and Percy.

“Um, hey,” Percy said, because he was just that smooth. He scrunched his face up, cursing his awkwardness.

“Hey. Uh, I’m Jason,” said Jason, offering a hand to shake. Percy took it, surprised by how firm Jason’s shake was.

“I figured,” Percy responded, because his mouth was conspiring against him and was hellbent on saying only the dumbest stuff imaginable. There was a growing length of pause, so in panic, Percy said “Hazel didn’t do you justice.”

“What?”

Percy, if it was even possible, flushed darker. “I meant in the drawing you sent me. You’re, uh, you look even better than I thought you would.”

It was Jason’s turn to flush. “Thanks. You too.”

There was a heavy, awkward silence falling between the two, and beyond Jason, Percy could see Piper rolling by, raising a questioning thumbs up. Percy shot a thumbs up back, and refocused on Jason.

“Um, so,” Percy started nervously. “Ack. I’m sorry, I’m so nervous.”

“Me too,” Jason admitted, to nobody’s surprise. “Do you have those ghost pictures? They sounded really cool to me.”

“Oh!” Percy replied, hand going to dig in his jacket pocket. “Yes! Of course!”

There was almost a feeling of pride in Percy when he showed Jason the pictures, swiping through to see a few. The last one was after he totally bit it on his skateboard, him lying on the ground, a speck of blood staining the sheet, which was completely skewed. 

“Like I said, I don’t have the picture of me falling, but here’s the one from right afterwards,” Percy said with a grin.

“Oh, man, these are great,” Jason said, holding a cupped hand over Percy’s phone screen to block out the sun. “Inspirational, even. If I ever made a Halloween greeting card, this is the picture I’d put on the front.”

“What an honor,” Percy responded with a huff of laughter. “Halloween greeting card material.”

With that, things quickly became comfortable between the two, and they were laughing and joking in no time. Each time a laugh escaped Jason, or he complimented Percy, or he even just looked the right way, Percy felt his stomach swoop and the giddiness bubble up inside him.

Unfortunately, not everybody’s meetings seemed to be going so well.

Percy’s ears practically perked up when he first heard the shouting arise. He and Jason looked at each other worriedly, and he tried not to get sucked into thinking about how cute Jason looked with his eyebrows furrowed like that. Tearing his eyes away from Jason’s face, Percy turned, alongside most of the students, to find Octavian and Nico in the middle of a spitting match.

“You think because I’m 3000 miles away you can talk trash about me? Fine! I don’t care! But you think you can insult and bully my baby sister-” Nico was yelling, Italian accent growing more and more prominent as he gestured wildly.

“I don’t know who you think you are, you little-” and then a slur slipped out of Octavian’s mouth. And Octavian didn’t stop there. “But I’ll kill you, I’ll-”

Percy thought his mouth may have been hanging ajar, not out of shock of hearing the word, or even out of shock of hearing the threat, but out of shock regarding what happened next.

Will punched Octavian, square in the face, screaming “Don’t talk to my boyfriend like that, you anemic loser!”

Octavian crumpled to the ground, hands clutching his face, and _that’s_ when Mr. Brunner and Mrs. Juno broke through the crowd. Mr. Brunner was leading Will away, and Mrs. Juno was kneeling next to Octavian.

Percy looked back at Jason, who was staring straight back at him, wide eyed.

“Jesus,” Percy muttered. Jason nodded slowly.

Looking back, Percy saw that Octavian was now standing up, clutching his nose with blood running down his chin. Mrs. Juno had a dark look on her face and her mouth moved quickly, though Percy couldn’t hear a word she said. Meanwhile, Mr. Brunner was frowning at Will, lecturing him from the look of things.

“I gotta go check on Nico,” Percy said quietly to Jason. Without waiting for a response, he began to push his way over to Mr. Brunner, Will, and Nico.

“But did you hear what he said to Nico?” Will was protesting. “You mean I was supposed to let him _say_ that?”

“You weren’t supposed to _punch_ him!” Nico butted in, a hand flailing and nearly hitting Will. “You weren’t even involved!”

Will spluttered. “Not involved? He threatened to _kill_ you, Nico! I think that, as your boyfriend, I can maybe react to that a little!”

Mr. Brunner pointedly cleared his throat, and the two fell silent. “Listen, Will,” Mr. Brunner then said. “I understand that emotions were running high at the moment. Evidently, what Mrs. Juno and I interpreted as healthy competition was indeed much more hateful feelings. Therefore, you won’t be in trouble _if_ you apologize to Octavian.”

“No,” Will protested immediately. “I’m not doing that.”

“Will.” Mr. Brunner looked exhausted as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re a good student. There’s no reason-”

“I think there’s a pretty good damned reason! Did you hear what he said? He called Nico a slur, and _threatened_ to _kill_ him.”

“You understand the severity, yes? You’ll be suspended.”

“Do _you_ understand the severity? That was a death threat! Dear God, how many times do I have to say it!”

“Will,” Nico said, nearly whispering. “Please. Apologize to Octavian, it’s not that big of a deal. I don’t want you to get in trouble for me.”

Will’s face was bright red, eyes still lit with fiery indignation. “Do either of you understand how serious this is? Do you know how serious Octavian might’ve been just now? Some people, when they say that, they aren’t kidding! So don’t tell me it’s not a big deal that someone that I love just got threatened like that, because I’ll be damned if I dismiss another threat like that again in my life!”

Mr. Brunner’s eyebrows drew together, and he slowly, gently rested a hand on Will’s arm.

“What do you mean, Will?” he asked.

Will took a deep breath, closing his eyes and jerking his shoulder so that Mr. Brunner’s hand fell. His eyes opened and the fire had been extinguished. “Nothing. I’m not apologizing, end of story.”

“Will,” Nico said softly, resting a hand on Will's elbow, as if just reminding his boyfriend of his presence.

Percy startled, realizing how serious of a conversation this was cracking up to be, and looked around, noticing other students eyeing the trio keenly. Then he met eyes with Frank, and the two nodded to each other, immediately taking on the roles of crowd control, backing the other students up to give Will some semblance of privacy.

Later, when everything had settled down, Percy found Will and Nico sitting on a bench, each with an arm around the other.

“Hey, you guys okay? That looked pretty intense,” Percy asked softly, crouching in front of the bench.

Will forced a smile on his face, eyes red from crying. "Yeah," he said. His voice cracked, and Percy raised a skeptical eyebrow.

Nico looked at his boyfriend carefully, then at Percy, saying "He'll be okay, I think." Will nodded his confirmation.

"Okay," Percy answered, satisfied. "Did you get suspended, or…?" Will shook his head. Percy, shocked, couldn't help but ask incredulously, "You apologized?"

"No. I talked it through with Mr. Brunner, and he agreed that he wasn't taking the situation seriously enough," Will said. His voice was soft and weak, breaking off at times, and Nico's arm visibly tightened around Will's waist. "That homophobia, y'know…"

Percy nodded. "Right. I'm glad, you were absolutely in the right." Pausing, he tilted his head and glanced Jason's way. He was leaning against a tree, looking in Percy's general direction, and when their eyes met, he gave Percy a thumbs up. Percy turned back to Will and Nico. "We can have a game night, if it'd make you feel better. To just goof off and do dumb shit."

Will looked towards Nico, and after a moment of them being silent, Percy stood. "Talk about it, talk to your folks, just let me know. I'll invite the others in the meantime. The penpals, too, if that's okay. Octavian excluded, obviously. If you don't want to join us, don't sweat it. You can also join online if you rather," Percy said.

"Thanks, I'll have to think about it," Will replied. Nico nodded in agreement, and Percy took the hint and turned away, walking over to Jason.

"Hey, Perseus," Jason said warmly when Percy returned. Percy felt his stomach flutter as he smiled. "Did everything turn out alright? Saw you and Frank keeping the crowd back, so I'm guessing _something_ happened."

At this last sentence, Jason frowned, glancing over at Will and Nico, before refocusing on Percy.

"Everything's fine now, Will won't be suspended or anything." Percy glanced worriedly over his shoulder. Will always seemed like a happy-go-lucky guy, but after what he overheard, he was starting to suspect that wasn't quite the case. He took a deep breath, pushing the thought from his mind. He'd just check up on Will later, but he got the idea that Will didn't really like talking about whatever he was remembering today. " _Anyways_ ," Percy continued, eyes returning to Jason's face. "I don't know your field trip rules, but if you and your friends would like to come hang out with my friends for a game night one of these days…”

He trailed off, palms up in offering. A grin slowly appeared on Jason’s face as he asked “What would we be playing?”

“We could do whatever you guys want to do,” Percy said mildly. “Of course, you still haven’t played Among Us.”

A small snort of laughter escaped Jason, causing Percy that swooping stomach to come back.

Then Jason looked off in Octavian’s direction, a darker look on his face. “I’m worried that this’ll get the rest of the field trip canceled, to be honest. I mean, hopefully Mrs. Juno realizes that that was all on Octavian, and she’ll only send him home early, but I’m afraid she might just take us all back to California.”

“She can’t do that, you haven’t taken any of my jackets yet,” Percy protested playfully. But that too was dropped in favor of focusing on Octavian, and then on Mrs. Juno and Mr. Brunner’s serious discussion nearby. Then, a bit more afraid that she might just do that, Percy added “Uh, just in case, what’s your Instagram?”

It was good timing, though; just after they rapidly shared social medias, Mrs. Juno started gathering the Centurion kids around her to go back to the hotel. Before Percy could think twice, he quickly wrapped his arms around Jason, pulling him into a tight hug.

“I’m glad we got to meet,” he said, quickly and softly, into Jason’s ear. Though the sentence wasn’t all that personable, it felt much more intimate than it should’ve, and he didn’t want the nosy kids around him to pick up on it.

Jason seemed a bit surprised at the gesture, because for a moment he was frozen. Then he returned the hug, pressing his arms into Percy’s back and whispering “Me too” in return.

Then the moment was over, and Jason was being swept back off with his classmates. He turned back while his class waited to cross the road and waved one last time at Percy, who gave a small wave back.

“Hah!” Leo said loudly from Percy’s side, making Percy jump. “Looks like you were worried for nothing, hmm? Can you stop pining now or does he not know yet?”

Percy's face flushed a few shades darker than usual. “Shut up, it’s not like that.”

“No, I’m with Leo,” Piper said, having skated up from behind and stopped a few seconds prior. “I watched that hug, dude. Looked intense.”

“Yeah, I’m actually a bit jealous,” Leo teased.

There was a moment of silence where Will or Nico would usually jump in to heckle Percy, but they were still off on their own, so the three just watched the Centurion kids for a little longer.

“How was meeting _your_ penpal?” Percy asked after an appropriate amount of time. “Annabeth?”

“Oh, she is _so cool_ , dude. She agreed to edit my English essay if I helped her with her Precalc homework. But she agrees with me. Just get a move on and ask Jason out already, because we’re all in agony having to put up with you two,” Leo said. Piper snickered.

“Oh, my God,” Percy groaned. “Considering how much you’re complaining about my supposedly endless pining-”

“It’s not supposed if you pine over him every day,” Piper interjected.

“-you two just _won’t_ shut up about me and Jason. Leo, you can’t even complain after all the Nico pining-”

“Hey, that was different! You actually have a chance!”

“-about me _mentioning_ Jason to you guys.”

“No, no, Leo and Piper are right,” said Nico suddenly, right behind Percy. Percy jumped again. “You talk about Jason too much for someone who claims he doesn’t want to ask him out.”

“Woah, okay, who said anything about asking anyone out? He lives in _California_.” Percy, suddenly feeling very defensive, threw up his hands and shifted away from the group.

“And?” Nico asked, sounding bored.

“And we live in New York, which is literally on the _other side of the continent_!” Percy yelped, turning around. He noticed vaguely that the rest of the class was dispersing slowly but surely.

“Eh, plenty of people have long distance relationships. Three hour timezone? Easy,” Piper scoffed, waving her hand as if dismissing all possible objections.

“And your relationship so far has already been built on distant communication. Now that you two can text and call and stuff, it’s gotta be easier to have a relationship,” Leo pointed out.

Percy desperately made eye contact with Will, the only to have not voiced an opinion, and mouthed _help me_. Will looked a little uncomfortable when he said “You should appreciate the people in your life while they’re there. If you like him, tell him. You might regret it later if you don’t.”

Eyebrows furrowing slightly, Percy briefly considered that Will’s discomfort could be contagious, because all of a sudden, both Percy and (seemingly, at least) Nico looked like they wanted to rewind a few seconds. “Right,” Percy said after a long beat of silence. “Well, either way, why should I tell him when he doesn’t-”

“Oh don’t you dare,” Leo said, cutting Percy off. “I swear if you say Jason doesn’t like you…”

“He doesn’t, though!” Percy said emphatically, hands thrashing a little for the extra drama.

“Oh, please,” Nico scoffed, “we all saw that hug. That was in no way platonic.”

“I initiated the hug, so, that’s probably why. And besides, none of you have even ever talked to Jason.”

“Uh, but we talk to two of his closest friends,” Leo pointed out, hand waving in the space between Will and themself. “If you don’t trust us, trust Annabeth and Frank. Jason _definitely_ likes you.”

“Trust Hazel,” Nico offered. “She told me that he talks about you too much, too.”

“Oh, my God, does anybody _not_ gossip about my love life?”

But then Percy’s phone buzzed and, after seeing the notification, he immediately tuned everyone out in favor of frantically checking his DM from Jason. His friends must have guessed what had happened, because they all fell silent after a moment.

 **mrs. juno just finished talking to us** , the message said. **she’s going to take octavian to the airport to be sent home, but the rest of us can stay for the rest of the field trip!!!**

 **omg yay!!!** Percy replied, turning his phone off and looking up at his friends, who were all staring back expectantly.

There was a long beat of silence. “Fine,” Percy finally said. “Their field trip isn’t cancelled, so next time I see him… I _guess_ I’ll tell him I like him.”

“Yes, praise the Lord,” Leo exclaimed, waving their victorious fists into the air dramatically.

“Though the rest of our letters’ll be awkward if it turns out he doesn’t like me,” Percy couldn’t help but add, as if that one sentence would get all his friends to change their mind and talk him out of confessing.

“Please, have you been listening to us? That’s not gonna happen,” Piper snorted. 

It had been with careful deliberation that Percy had decided how he would tell Jason. All of the students would be meeting up again for dinner (the classy establishment chosen was a mall food court thanks to their cost-effective and accommodating options). He was wearing his parka, and praying Jason wouldn’t bring his jacket. Because Percy wasn’t an idiot, he was also bringing a second jacket that was folded neatly and then shoved into his backpack, just a hoodie that would at least get him home alright. Percy had meticulously gone through the pockets of the parka to ensure they were all empty before carefully folding his piece of lined paper in half and tucking it into the left handed pocket.

So his plan relied on a few factors.

Jason couldn’t bring a jacket of his own. Jason had to complain about being cold _or_ bring up taking one of Percy’s jackets. Jason had to accept Percy’s parka. Jason had to put his hand into the left hand pocket.

The last one had to be easy, right? If the plan progressed that far, who _didn’t_ put their hands into their pockets at some point? And the paper clearly said **JASON** on the side showing, so Jason would know to read it.

Percy pushed aside his doubt. His plan would work. It had to, because he didn’t think he could tell Jason verbally. And while Mr. Brunner _probably_ knew how Percy felt, he didn’t really want his confession to be graded. He also wouldn’t mind being able to talk face to face to Jason _after_ his confession.

The plan would work. Percy was wearing his parka, he had his backpack, and he was leaving his home to meet up with the class at the mall. He checked his phone while he was on the subway.

**leo: dont forget your promise, percy!!!**

**nico: yeah, percy, dont forget your promise**

**will: Guys, calm down, Percy won’t forget.**

**g-man: Wait, What Promise?**

**rachel: ^^^???????????**

**leo: percy promised hed confess to jason tonite!!!!!!!!!!!**

**percy: oh my god and i regret it already.**

Already over his friends’ antics, Percy turned his phone off and returned it to his pocket. He wanted to get his mind off his nerves, not have it be the only thing on his mind.

Luckily, the rest of his commute was fine. He arrived at the food court and saw a large group of kids (really, Percy felt bad for the staff working the food court. Between Mrs. Juno’s and Mr. Brunner’s classes, the mass of kids was almost overwhelming) that he quickly identified as being a conglomerate of Goode and Centurion kids, and began to pick his way through the crowd until he found Leo, Annabeth, Frank, and Jason. Blowing out a deep breath, Percy joined the four.

“Hey,” Percy said. “Do you guys know if Nico’s gonna show? I mean, he’ll probably show up with Piper, Grover, and Rachel if he isn’t supposed to come, but did he get kicked from the field trip, too?”

“Nah, that’d be messed up if Mr. Brunner did that,” Leo answered. “He’ll probably hang with Frank and Will for the rest of the field trip.”

Percy nodded, and tried to subtly take in Jason’s appearance. Like at the park, he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, but unlike the park, he wasn’t wearing a jacket, and Percy grinned triumphantly. He considered the possibility that Piper had managed to pass along that key detail of the plan down along their line of mutual friends in some sort of convoluted matchmaker telephone, as she had helped him iron out the plan. And yep, that seemed most likely, because Leo took this moment to very loudly say “Geez, it sure is cold, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Annabeth had agreed, though she gave Leo a weird look. “I’m glad I brought my jacket.” Then she glanced pointedly at Jason.

“Hey, _you_ were the one-” Jason started to protest, but Annabeth continued to talk over him.

“I don’t know what I’d do without one. Don’t you wish you had your jacket, Jason?”

Jason fell silent, staring at Annabeth in a mix of what seemed to be exhaustion, confusion, and dead inside syndrome. Then, he said “Yeah. I do.”

Percy took the opening, inorganic as it was. “Do you want to borrow mine?” he asked. “I brought a spare, so it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Oh, you don’t have to…” Jason protested weakly.

“Yes, I do. What kind of friend would I be if I sat back and let you, you poor Californian, freeze in the middle of a food court?” Percy replied with just a hint of over dramatic flair. Leo nodded seriously from Percy’s side.

“He’s right. He’d be in violation of the Good Friend Rules if he didn’t offer you a jacket,” Leo said. “Then we’d have to kick him out of the friendship group.”

Percy held out the parka he just took off. “Please. If not for you… then for me.”

“Well this isn’t dramatic at all,” Nico grumbled, walking up with Will.

Jason had crumbled and was putting on the parka when Nico spoke, and Jason looked at him and Will with concern. “Are you two okay? After the park, that is?”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll be fine. Something to tell our therapists about, yadda yadda,” Nico said, clearly over this question. “Anyways, it looks like we all get to go buy food now. Anyone want to walk with me to the McDonald’s?”

Percy passed in favor of Taco Bell, and the group split from there.

Annabeth was the only one who had also wanted Taco Bell, so the two walked off together.

“So…” she started, trailing off awkwardly. “You put a note in the jacket?”

Percy nodded. “Uh… yeah. Do you think he’ll read it?”

“Definitely. I’m glad _one_ of you had the guts to make a move, I felt like you’d be stuck in a stalemate forever. Trust me, none of my friends want that. Jason never seems to stop talking about you.”

Percy, as he had so many times that day, flushed. Jason talked about him. Like, Percy obviously talked about him a lot, too, but it never occurred to him that the reverse could actually be true. He didn’t really fully trust his friends when they made that claim. But coming from Annabeth, who Jason seemed to think so highly of, meant a lot to him.

“He told me about you, y’know,” Percy said, quickly seizing the change in subject. “He really cares about you.”

“Aww, cute,” Annabeth said. She sounded a little dry, and Percy wondered why until she continued speaking. “I really care about him, too, so I swear to God, even if I am rooting for you two, I will break every bone in your body if you hurt him. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise.”

“Duly noted,” Percy replied. “I’d like a Burrito Supreme with a medium Mountain Dew, please.”

The latter, naturally, was addressed to the Taco Bell cashier, and _not_ Annabeth. By the time they both had gotten their food and turned around, Percy could see Jason was standing by a table where their friends were sitting, but still somewhat farther off. He was reading something in his hand. Percy was willing to guess it was his note.

Annabeth caught his eye and grinned, patting his shoulder. “Welp, too late to turn back now. Good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i didnt MEAN to give will a whole vague angsty backstory there (i actually have it pretty plotted out i just kept it vague because this isnt a will-centric fic and also the backstory accidentally turned out to be pretty heavy) the backstory sorta wrote itself, it just felt right and helped explain (to me) certain aspects of his character and all that in this au.
> 
> i did read tower of nero but this is an au so do not fear spoilers from me. i might reference it vaguely but i seriously doubt i will. and if i did it would be more in the vein of inside jokes (like the anemic loser bit) so if you havent read it you wont even notice.
> 
> anyways i hate octavian hence why i wrote him out of the fic so quickly.
> 
> i still have my family thing going on, so chapters will still be a bit slower but im still writing so. it probably wont take too long.


	13. from percy, to jason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (this is the note percy left in the jacket pocket, in case i did not make it clear)

my dearest jason,

might i take a moment to remind you the difference between various forms of poetry? for instance, this is what a limerick might sound like:

‘there once was a lad named perseus  
whose feelings for you were quite serious  
he wrote this letter  
this real go-getter  
even though it makes him seem delirious’

meanwhile a sonnet could very likely sound like this:

‘i have feelings for this boy, that is true,  
deep feelings, deeper than i know to say.  
you ask me ‘whom’ and i say ‘he is you’,  
a truth that is as obvious as day.  
if i were asked ‘why’, this answer i’d give:  
he is gentle and kind and cares for me;  
he has soft blue eyes in which i could live;  
and his hair looks as soft as it can be.  
i have feelings for this boy named jason,  
who wrote me a great number of letters.  
i couldn’t confess this while i faced him,  
so hopefully this works all the better.  
because i mean when i say i like him;  
i like him more than just a passing whim.’

love,  
percy

p.s. this isnt a joke but i can write you a better love letter.

  
p.p.s. to make it clear, in case my poems did not. i have a crush on you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay now the wait is going to be a bit longer again, because its another prose chapter, and this time i dont have any spare scenes already written. ill see you in the next update.


	14. part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the rest of jasons visit to new york

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if theres any typos or inconsistencies im sorry i didnt have the time or energy to reread the whole thing, but i tried to edit as i wrote

Jason felt like his feet had been bolted to the floor. Everything seemed to be disconnected and disorienting. He was still on California time, admittedly, so the windows that reminded him of how dark it was outside were not very helpful when it came to getting a grip on reality. The loud, incomprehensible overlap of conversation pushed against his ears, trying to drag his focus away. He’d spiral if he let it, so he focused on the note he just read.

_ i have a crush on you _ , written right there, in Percy’s messy scrawl. Jason’s heart was beating too fast. Much too fast.  _ He likes me _ , was echoing triumphantly in his head, but the presence of literally everything around him was dampening his moment somewhat. Jason closed his eyes and drew Percy’s jacket tighter around himself. That vague Perseus smell clung to the fabric, which made Jason feel incredibly creepy, but closing his eyes, he could almost pretend he was back in that hug from hours earlier.

Grounded again, Jason opened his eyes, and reread the letter, mostly to promise himself that it was real. And, God, was it real. The shock was fading and the triumphant echo was winning and soon Jason was sporting the largest grin he’d ever worn on his face. A yard or two away, Perseus sat at a table, eating his dinner. There was an empty seat next to him- the one with Jason’s food in front of it.  _ He likes me, he likes me!  _ Jason’s brain gloated. Then he realized  _ Oh, God, Percy’s been sitting there for five minutes waiting for me to finish reading this. _

So finally, Jason managed to get himself to move again, and he walked over to where Perseus was sitting. It was a long line of small tables pushed together, and he was sitting with Frank, Annabeth, and all of his own friends- some of whom, Jason noticed, were definitely not there at the park. He wondered vaguely if Perseus’s teacher would notice or mind.

“Uh, Perseus,” Jason said softly from Percy’s shoulder. “Can I talk to you?”

Percy seemed to swallow hard on his burrito. “Yeah,” he agreed, standing up. “Sure.”

“Hell yeah, about time!” Leo cheered. Percy shot them a glare and they fell silent.

Jason led Perseus over towards the trash can where he had stood and read the letter. “I-” he started, though he abruptly stopped as he tried to work out what to say. “Do you really? Like me?”

Percy nodded wordlessly.

“Can I kiss you?”

Percy nodded again.

Jason’s shaky hands cupped Perseus’s face, trailing back to the nape of his neck, and he leaned forward slightly to close the gap between them. It took a second to situate their noses and Jason’s glasses, but once they did, it felt like two puzzle pieces had clicked into place. Percy’s hands grabbed onto Jason’s arms, and for a moment, everything was perfect.

And then Jason remembered they were in the middle of a mall and Leo was being embarrassingly loud, so he decided, regrettably, to pull back.

“So I take it you like me, too?” Perseus said after a moment of the two staring at each other had passed.

Jason smiled shakily, giving a soft laugh. “Yeah.” Then, feeling a need to break the slightly awkward tension, he added, “I mean, after that sonnet… who wouldn’t?”

Perseus laughed, too, causing Jason’s heart to skip a beat. “It was very rushed. I promise my love letter will be much more carefully written.”

There was a swooping sensation in Jason’s stomach- the love letters. They’d be written in a completely different context, now. Jason wouldn’t be writing as the fool who was hopelessly pining after a penpal in New York. He’d be writing as Perseus’s… his... 

“What are we?” he asked suddenly. Maybe he needed to add more context, because Perseus paused for a beat.

“What do you want us to be?” Perseus finally asked softly.

_ Boyfriends, _ Jason thought immediately. There was no other good answer to that question, no answer that Jason would consider, at least. So he said, “Boyfriends. I figure we could at least give long distance a try.”

A huge smile broke on Perseus’s face, and Jason felt his knees go weak.

“How hard could it be? We’ve only known each other through letters so far. Now that we have our phones at our disposal, it’s gotta be at least a little easier,” Perseus said.

Jason’s chest clenched. He was so unbelievably happy, it almost didn’t feel real. Then his stomach rumbled.

“Okay, do you think maybe we could go eat now?” Jason asked sheepishly. Perseus laughed again, and Jason’s stomach swooped again.

“Yes, of course,” Perseus agreed. Then as they turned back to the table, his hand found Jason’s and their fingers entwined. 

Jason was still grinning like an idiot long after he and Perseus had gone their separate ways for the night. He was lying on his bed in the hotel when there was a knock on the door. He didn’t bother to even sit up, knowing that Frank could get the door.

Sure enough, the door opened, and Jason heard Frank say “Oh, hey” before the door closed again. Jason looked away from the roof above him just long enough to realize that it was Annabeth who had forced her way into the room, and that she was sitting down on the desk chair.

“Hand over the note, I want to see it,” Annabeth said as she propped her feet up on Jason’s bed.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jason replied indignantly.

“Leo told me about Percy’s plan, and I was with him when he saw you reading it. I know. Now hand it over.” A beat passed. “Please.”

Jason huffed, knowing he couldn’t get out of it, and dug his hand into the pocket of the jacket that he was obviously still wearing. “Fine.”

Annabeth leaned forward and plucked the paper out of his hand, and then Frank came over to read over her shoulder. “He confessed in a limerick?” She asked after a moment. “Well, and a sonnet?”

“Yeah,” Jason answered, his smile growing wider. “It’s referencing a thing in our letters.”

“Ah,” Annabeth said.

“I think it’s cute,” Frank offered, standing straight. “I’m happy for you. What’d you guys end up deciding?”

Jason thought for a moment, puzzled, before realizing what Frank meant. “We’re gonna try dating.”

“Oh, my God, you’re gonna be just as annoying and love-struck as before, won’t you?” Annabeth groaned. “I’m texting Reyna about this.”

“I’ll fill in Hazel,” Frank offered. “Though I guess Nico might’ve already.”

Jason hummed. “Oh, absolutely, Annabeth. Maybe more than before.” Then he addressed Frank, saying, “I don’t think Nico would’ve. He’s had quite a day, he probably has more to worry about than mine and Perseus’s love life.”

“Good point,” Frank said. “Poor Will. I’m glad he didn’t get in too much trouble, though.”

Jason nodded. “Gotta admit, even though I don’t know Will that well, I was absolutely expecting Nico to punch Octavian instead of Will.”

A silence settled among the trio, but it was soon broken by the rapid flood of notifications on Jason's phone. He held his phone up to his face.

**27 new messages** read the notification from Instagram.

It turned out that he had been added to a new group chat, one with Perseus and his friends, and Annabeth and Frank. Hazel had been added by Nico and then Reyna had been added by Annabeth. Jason blinked, trying to zone in on the conversation.

**percy, teller of tales: so could you all (all meaning those in new york) make it to a gaming session at my house tomorrow?**

**nico: maybe if you’re in california, you can join us online**

**Hazel: That sounds really nice!**

**Frank: I think Mrs. Juno will let us once she finds out you’re my cousin. I can go ask her now, before it gets to be too late.**

**leo v.: hells. yes**

**Annabeth (ACAB): what time would we come over**

**percy, teller of tales: 12:30/1:00 ish? you could eat lunch before or my mom could feed you**

**percy, teller of tales: my mom will only feed you if you live in california *coughleocough***

**leo v.: i am OFFENDED, i am CRYING, i have done NOTHING BUT BE NICE TO YOUR FAMILY and THIS is the treatment i get????**

**percy, teller of tales: thats what you get for setting our kitchen on fire**

**leo v.: IT WAS A GOOD PRANK, OKAY?**

**percy, teller of tales: no it wasnt. anyways you guys would just have to leave by like. 5:30 ish at the latest**

**Frank: One (1) serious discussion later, and Mrs. Juno has agreed to let us come over tomorrow.**

Jason hadn’t realized until Frank sent that text that the latter had left and re-entered the room in the time passing, but he looked up now and made eye contact.

“Thanks for checking with Mrs. Juno, Frank. I really appreciate it.”

"Yeah, no problem. I'm looking forward to seeing my aunt again, honestly. I don't have many memories of her, but those I do have are all great," Frank explained, a smile on his face.

Annabeth stood abruptly. "Well, now that that's squared away, I'm gonna go try to sleep. I think I managed to beat the jetlag.”

“What jetlag, we’re only three hours behind?” Jason said, huffing slightly in amusement.

“I’m planning to be up by 9 AM,” Annabeth explained, “so that we can get directions ironed out. I’m not planning on getting lost. With jetlag, that’d be like getting up at 6 in the morning. It makes a difference, man.”

So after grumbling a bit and saying goodnight to Annabeth and Frank, Jason eventually plugged in his phone, turned off his light, and went to sleep.

The next morning, Jason woke up to a stomach full of anxiety and a message providing Percy’s address. He spent a good twenty minutes just trying to decide what shirt to wear, until Frank, tired of Jason’s fretting, got up, plucked one of Jason’s nicer t-shirts out of his bag, and threw it at him. Jason decided to choose that shirt.

At the last minute, before he and Frank and Annabeth left, Jason shoved a sweatshirt into his backpack. He was wearing Perseus’s jacket, naturally, but he wanted to offer a jacket in exchange. He wanted to know, when he was in California, that Perseus had something of his. Were they too early in their relationship for Jason to already be thinking like this?

Jason was about to spiral, before he took a long, deep breath and reminded himself: no two relationships were the same. No two relationships went at the same speed or had the same milestones or survived the same distances and challenges. And thinking like that sort of helped Jason. To an extent.

The subway was an adventure, one that Jason wasn’t expecting. He never really thought about it, as he hardly ever had to take public transportation back in California. Like, with his dad’s… status, he could afford to drive everywhere, or fly if it was far enough. He hadn’t ever even taken a public bus, much less a subway. Jason’s experience here started and ended with what he’d seen in films. It was colder than he expected it to be (the subway tunnels, that was), and he wasn’t fully expecting all the hustle and bustle that comes with rushing to get to your subway in time. He silently thanked God that Annabeth was there to lead the way. She weaved between fast and slow moving parties alike, and urged Frank and Jason to move faster when they almost missed their subway, and led them through their fast-paced switch.

Even then, there was still a good walk between their subway stop and Percy’s house. Walking back out on the street (and hugging Perseus’s jacket tighter to his body to retain some body heat), Jason watched as Annabeth cursed lightly at her phone. Then, abruptly, she pocketed her phone and began to walk briskly down the street, Jason and Frank stumbling after in her wake.

They must’ve been on Perseus’s street when Jason noticed Nico hopping out of a car. It was a relief to at least be able to recognize  _ somebody  _ other than Perseus, and it was all thanks to Hazel’s family photos.

“Hey, Nico,” Jason called out warmly. “You’re making me feel a bit underdressed.”

Nico waved, glancing down at his rather nice outfit as he joined Jason’s group. “Oh, no, it’s me who’s overdressed. I had my family lunch after Mass this morning, and I would’ve been late if I stopped to change.”

“You’re Catholic?” Frank asked with vague interest.

“Yeah. I know, gay Catholic, all that. I wouldn't've suspected it either,” Nico said, ushering the group to a building and then opening the door.

“Oh,” Frank said. “No, I mean- I more meant that Hazel isn’t Catholic. I guess the gay thing didn’t occur to me.”

Nico laughed. “I like you. Hazel was raised by her mom, who I think practiced witchcraft? I’m not sure, I think she was pagan, I don’t know the details, though.”

Jason wondered distantly why Hazel didn’t live with her and Nico’s dad, but brushed that curiosity aside, not wanting to pry deeper than he should. That and Nico had stopped in front of a door and was knocking on it.

It was opened by Perseus, and already Jason was grinning. Nico led the group through the door, immediately making a beeline for Will. Annabeth followed, greeting Perseus, and then Frank, who said hello before venturing off in search of his aunt. That left Jason to go last, and he stopped next to Perseus.

“Hey,” he said quietly, delighted to see Percy smiling widely back at him.

“Hey. I see you’re wearing my jacket,” he answered, closing the door and lightly tugging on the front of his- or Jason’s?- jacket (Jason certainly wasn’t about to give it back. Not unless Perseus asked for it back). “Oh, hey! I just realized, you haven’t had a chance to meet Thalia yet, have you? Thalia, get over here!”

Jason’s heart twisted, as it always did whenever he heard that name. The name of his sister who had run away so long ago.

It didn’t help to turn and see who Perseus was referring to- a girl with bright blue eyes and a face full of freckles. The dark hair helped Jason from going down some sort of spiral, though.

But then something weird happened.

As the girl approached, her smile slipped from her face, and a much more serious expression appeared. “Jackson, what’d you say your boyfriend’s name was?” Her eyes didn’t leave Jason’s face as she asked that.

“Uh… Jason?” Perseus answered, sounding a bit worried.

“Grace?” Thalia prompted.

“What?”

“Is his last name Grace?” Thalia’s voice sounded almost deadly as she repeated her question, and Jason tried to answer, but couldn’t. His throat was closing, and he couldn’t choke out the words.

_ Yes, yes, more importantly, what’s  _ your  _ last name?  _ Jason wanted to say. He already thought he knew. He wanted to throw his arms around the sister he lost a decade ago.

“Um, yeah. Why?” Perseus asked.

“Because  _ my  _ last name is Grace, idiot, and that’s my lost brother.”

A tense, disbelieving silence stretched over the room.

“Yo, yo, yo, who’s ready to get this party  _ started _ ?” yelled Leo as they opened the front door, not even bothering to knock.

“Leo, your timing literally could not be any worse,” said Nico as Jason finally unfroze and brought Thalia in for a tight hug. He was pretty sure he was about to cry, and if the shaking in Thalia’s shoulders were any indication, she was already there.

“Um. What’d I miss?”

Needless to say, the last thing Jason thought he’d ever experience was reuniting with his sister in his boyfriend’s apartment while Minecraft music played in the background.

Jason spent most of the day watching everyone else play their game. He had brought his laptop, sure, but he much preferred catching up with Thalia or watching Perseus play.

However, there was one game Jason felt he sort of  _ had  _ to play with his friends: Among Us, since Perseus loved it so much. Neither Hazel nor Reyna were joining them online at that point, and Rachel said she “would rather drink a cup of paint-water than play another round of this bullshit”, so there were fortunately only ten players. Jason quickly realized that this game was extremely hectic.

By sheer luck, Jason and Perseus were the imposters, which led to Jason frequently asking his boyfriend questions in a whisper, and his boyfriend answering them as quietly as he could. Of course, that didn’t stop Nico from calling an emergency meeting to explain that he saw Jason venting, and then getting Will to call an emergency meeting to further explain that he saw Perseus instructing Jason all throughout the round and that he was likely the second imposter. A bitter defeat.

The second round was better- Jason actually felt useful, at least, when Frank killed Annabeth right in front of him, allowing Jason to report him (as Frank was ejected, he very tearfully apologized to Annabeth). But that was about all he could do, because the moment he stepped into electrical afterwards, Perseus killed him. Perseus reported the body, indignantly crying out “Who killed my boyfriend?” before all blame was wrestled onto Will’s shoulders. Nico managed to figure out who the actual killer was relatively quickly, though, and that was the end of another round.

The group played a few more rounds before Perseus’s mom entered the room. Jason hadn’t properly met her yet, as she had introduced herself to Annabeth and Frank but had let him be to reunite with Thalia. Now, though, she walked over to the couch and Jason scrambled to stand up.

“Hello, Mrs. Jackson, I’m Jason.”

She studied him. “Grace?”

Jason nodded.

“Thalia’s brother?”

Jason nodded again.

She smiled at him warmly then and said “Please, call me Sally. You know, I took care of Thalia for quite a few years before she moved out. I’m glad she got to see you again.” Then, after a beat where she very pointedly looked at Jason’s (or, technically, Perseus’s) jacket. “Now, considering the fact that you’re wearing my son’s parka, I take it you’re the penpal?”

Jason shifted a little. “Um, yes.”

“Mom,” Perseus said pleadingly, tilting his head to look up at her. “Please don’t scare him.”

“I wasn’t going to scare him, Percy!” Mrs. Jackson said back, eyebrows shooting up. “Unless there’s a reason I should be scaring him. Does it happen to be the same reason he’s wearing your jacket?”

Jason choked, startled and even more uncomfortable than before. Meanwhile, Perseus was staring wide-eyed at his mother, seemingly starting a staring contest between the two, and the rest of the group awkwardly and quietly began turning over to another game.

“How about we three go talk in the kitchen?” Mrs. Jackson suggested, leading Jason to believe she won the staring contest.

Jason vaguely entertained notions of yelling ‘Nope!’ and running away, but he also couldn’t think of a faster way of ruining his relationship with Perseus so he just swallowed his nerves and followed Perseus and Mrs. Jackson. No big deal, Jason was just potentially going to be threatened by his boyfriend’s mother. Cool, cool, sounded great.

Perseus had immediately gone to lean against a counter, and his mother moved to stand across from him. After a moment of hesitation, Jason walked over to stand at Perseus’s side.

Mrs. Jackson made no move to speak, and after a few moments of silence, Perseus finally spoke. “Jason’s my boyfriend,” he said at last.

Jason’s stomach filled with butterflies at the word, and he glanced at Perseus with a grin.

“Yeah, I did guess as much,” Mrs. Jackson answered, sounding amused. She was smiling fondly at her son. “What I wanted to talk about more was…” The smile slipped from her face. “I support you, I really do, but did you guys consider that you live…”

“Yes,” Perseus said quickly, cutting his mom off with no regard. Jason flinched despite himself and had to remind himself that  _ this wasn’t his father.  _ “We did. We’re giving it a shot.”

“Okay.” Mrs. Jackson didn’t move, though, nor did she speak. She just studied the two for a moment. “The other thing I was going to say is  _ Perseus Logan Jackson, tell me you did not give your brand new jacket to this boy. _ ”

_ Oh no oh no oh no oh no,  _ Jason thought desperately.  _ This is it, we’re in big trouble now. _

Perseus just gave a sheepish laugh. “Sorry.” Then, turning to Jason, he added, “I’m sorry but can we trade that jacket out for a different one? I guess I didn’t think it all the way through, I can’t really afford to part with that one.”

“Yes, of course!” Jason agreed, already taking off the jacket. “I totally understand.”

Well, he didn’t really. He got that Perseus was in trouble for giving Jason the jacket, and he figured that it was probably meant to get Perseus through some of the colder months of the year, but he didn’t really get not being able to afford another. Not that he was expecting Perseus to get another jacket just so Jason could keep the first one, but he couldn’t imagine not being able to afford another new winter jacket on a whim. He decided to count himself lucky that his father had so much money.

“Here, come with me and you can pick a different one,” Perseus offered. And there were those butterflies again, because was Perseus going to show Jason his room?

Mrs. Jackson must’ve had the same thought, because as they left she called out “Perseus, you leave that door open!”

“Yeah, Perseus, leave that door open,” Leo crowed. “And leave room for Jesus.”

Thalia punched their shoulder. “Dude, gross, you’re talking about my baby brother, too, y’know.”

Jason didn’t even acknowledge the situation, instead ducking his head and speeding up as his ears burned red. Perseus came to a stop in front of a door at the end of a short hallway.

“Okay, don’t judge me but I totally wasn’t expecting you to be seeing my room, so it’s not clean,” he preemptively explained to Jason. “Also, Tyson was visiting on Saturday so my room is even messier than usual.”

With that, Jason entered the room, taking it in. There were band posters plastered to the walls, and a cluttered desk in front of a window. A bunk bed was pressed against the corner. Dirty laundry littered the floor, all leading to the overfilling drawers of a dresser. The bookcase was a mess of stacked books and knick-knacks and empty space. It all felt so  _ right _ , and Jason grinned.

“Oh!” Jason said. “I just remembered, I brought one of my sweatshirts. So that you can have one. Since I’m taking one of yours.”

Perseus’s face broke into a wide smile as he slid his closet door open. “Alright. Awesome. Here, you can look through my closet for a sweatshirt! Take whichever one you want. Just not all of them."

"Damn, you're not feeling mischievous for mischief's sake?" Jason teased before beginning to rifle through his boyfriend's (!!!!!) sweatshirts.

"I'm afraid not," Perseus replied rather diplomatically. Then, once Jason had paused his rifling to pull out a particular sweatshirt, Perseus added "A fine choice. May I compliment your tastes?"

Jason studied the sweatshirt, which was blue and sported Perseus's school's swim team logo on it. "Can I take this one?"

"Of course! I said whichever one you want, did I not?" Perseus said. Jason slid it on, and when his head was through, his boyfriend was standing much closer.

"Hey," Jason whispered- really, more breathed out, looking down slightly at Perseus.

"Hey."

Jason's hands found Perseus's face, and he quietly asked "May I?" as he leaned slightly closer. At his boyfriend's nod, Jason closed the gap between them.

"What part of leave room for Jesus didn't you understand?" a voice yelped, causing Jason and Perseus to leap away.

"Oh for God's sake, Leo!" Perseus shouted. "Can't I have a single goddamned minute alone with my boyfriend?"

“No, you can’t,” Leo said matter-of-factly. “Your mom is kicking us all out, Jason here included.” They didn’t look smug, per se, but somewhat amused at the situation Jason and Perseus found themselves in. “I’ll leave you two alone to say goodbye but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Perseus rolled his eyes and gave an exaggerated huff as he faced Jason. “Well, I guess this is goodbye for tonight, then. What day do you fly out, again?”

“Early Wednesday morning,” Jason answered, letting his forehead rest against Perseus’s. “Like really early.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m only excused from school on Monday and Tuesday so that tracks. I’ll see you tomorrow then, right?”

“Yeah, unless you’re planning on skipping the museums.”

Perseus groaned. “Seriously?  _ That _ ’s what we’re doing tomorrow?”

Jason laughed lightly. “I’m afraid so, Perseus. Remember, my group are all Cali kids. We need a chance to be tourists. And Mrs. Juno used the educational excuse to get us all excused from classes.”

“Jason, hurry up!” Annabeth called from the other room. Perseus sighed.

“Okay, well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jason said, giving Perseus a light kiss on the nose.

“Okay,” Perseus grumbled, though he was smiling. He grabbed Jason’s hand and they walked back to the living room.

“Thank you for having us, Mrs. Jackson,” Jason said as he picked up his bag. He rifled through it and then handed the sweatshirt inside it over to Perseus.

“Sally,” she reminded him with a smile. Not dropping her cheery demeanor, she said “If you hurt my son I will personally see to it that you suffer. Have a great night, stay safe!”

Jason froze for a moment, staring wide eyed at her and reeling from the rollercoaster she just put him through. “Uh, right,” he said, hurriedly zipping his backpack and swinging it onto his back. “Have a great night.”

On the other side of the apartment door, Annabeth wasted no time before she began to heckle him.

“Man, Jason, your face when Percy’s mom threatened you. I’m like, 90% sure it was  _ specifically  _ because of what Leo said while you two were back there.”

When Annabeth said this, Leo, who was a few steps ahead of them on the staircase, whipped their head up to look at them. “You think? Oh God, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to get you guys in trouble!”

“It’s okay,” Jason said quickly. “I don’t think we actually got in trouble. I was surprised, and yeah, a little scared, when Mrs. Jackson cornered me like that, but it was quick and relatively painless, so. No harm done, Leo, don’t worry about it!”

“Okay. Can you maybe tell Percy that because he’ll kill me without hesitation if you don’t.”

Jason laughed. “Okay, sure.”

Monday had been nice, the students all wandering through museums. Cracking jokes with Perseus, fawning over art and architecture with Annabeth, getting to know everyone better. Jason was growing increasingly fond of Leo, and of Piper who kept popping up in unlikely places during the day (“Me? Skipping school? I would  _ never,  _ Mr. Brunner,” she had said when the teacher had given her a pointed look. “Besides, it’s a complete coincidence that I’m eating lunch at the exact same place as you guys”). That afternoon, at the park where he had first met up with Perseus, Jason sat on a swing that swayed back and forth lightly, chatting with Thalia and holding Perseus’s hand and pretending that when Wednesday was all said and done he wouldn’t be stuck back in his hollow, empty house with his hollow, empty father. That he would still be here, spending days with his sister and his boyfriend and all of their friends.

Tuesday had been slightly more morose. The morning was also spent sightseeing, looking at skyscrapers and wandering parks and too much walking and too much subway hopping but with plenty of talking and plenty of handholding. But the afternoon was repacking, and checking off all the pre-flight boxes, and talking to Perseus on the phone because Mrs. Juno wasn’t allowing any of the Goode kids into hotel rooms.

Tuesday evening was a nice dinner, the kind where Jason had to wear slacks and a button up, but at least it was also the kind where he knew where he was going to sit. At least he knew he was sitting with Perseus, and Frank and Annabeth (thank you, Mrs. Juno, for small miracles), which meant that Leo and Will and Nico were also there, leaving an empty seat where Octavian would’ve been sitting.

Jason realized as he got dressed that this should’ve been an intimidating dinner, too nice and too structured, but he had experienced enough of them playing poster child of perfection for his father, and  _ this  _ dinner would certainly be easier than  _ those  _ dinners.

The Centurion kids all got to go in and sit down before the Goode kids had even arrived. So Jason was sitting in his seat, tuning out Annabeth and Frank’s conversation as he watched the door, determined to make the most of his last time seeing Perseus in person until… well, he didn’t know when. He wasn’t worrying about it yet.

Jason knew he wanted to come back soon.

It was with that thought that the Goode kids arrived. Jason saw Leo first, who was sporting a very nice skirt, then Nico and Will, and then Perseus. Perseus, with a dark blue shirt and his hair gelled and looking all laid back and grinning and making Jason’s heartbeat speed up.

“Hey,” Perseus said softly, a hand trailing across the back of Jason’s chair as he passed to the chair next to him.

“Hey,” Jason answered, grinning up at him.

Leo made a retching noise. “Ew, guys, get a room. Some of us want to eat tonight, not watch you guys be love sick or whatever.”

“Shut up, Valdez,” Perseus said with no bite. Everyone settled down and the dinner began.

“Why do we have to be all dressed up, anyways?” Will asked after the lull in talking that followed Perseus’s statement. “This is a dinner for a bunch of high school students, after all.”

“Mrs. Juno probably did it to fulfill some of our field trip requirements,” Annabeth suggested. When the Goode kids stared at her blankly, she added, “Well, in order to excuse us all from school for three days, and to get funding from the school for our trip, Mrs. Juno would’ve had to meet certain requirements. We went to the museums to meet some educational requirements, and some arts requirements. The park was to meet outdoors requirements. The dinner is probably to meet etiquette requirements or something.”

“What kind of school has  _ etiquette  _ requirements?” Leo asked, face scrunched up.

“I mean, we’re a private school,” Frank said lightly.

“Wait, what? You didn’t tell me Centurion was a private school!” Perseus demanded, turning rapidly to face Jason.

“Um, yeah. I assumed you knew, you already knew what school I attended. I thought you were told about my school, or that you searched it or something,” Jason explained awkwardly.

“Oh, woe, will the lies never end?” Perseus complained dramatically, draping his arm over his face. “What else, are you secretly a horse lover? A jock? Do you secretly despise Shakespearean sonnets?”

“I mean, I have a horse. You know that, I told you that. And you also know I play football, so. Not sure what your point is here.”

“Shit, you’re right, my bad. Sorry.”

“Okay, then,” Nico said, giving the pair a weird look. “Now I’m actually glad you two are long distance, because if I had to sit through  _ that  _ conversation every day, I’d lose my mind. Percy and Leo are a bad enough duo as it is.”

“Hey!” Leo protested. “What did I do?”

“Surprisingly, nothing, but my statement still stands.”

Yeah, Jason was going to miss these kids.

He said goodbye to Perseus at the end of the dinner, giving him a tight hug and both promising to text as soon as they could, and then Jason followed Frank up to their hotel room. The next morning, Jason woke up at five and began his last minute scramble for stuff. Then the day was devoted to his heart sinking lower and lower in his chest. The airplane taking off at 9 had Jason thinking the trip was over too soon, and it landing almost seven hours later had him thinking he wish it never ended, and his father’s driver waiting for Jason at baggage had him wishing that his father was more like his peers’ parents, who actually bothered to show up at the airport. 

That afternoon, as he waited for dinner to be ready, Jason sat alone in his room, texting Perseus and realizing how empty his home was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS FINISHED!! 3 chapters left, im v excited. sorry if this chapter seemed uninspired, i did my best but i realized a third of the way through that i dont really love writing from jasons pov LMAO
> 
> i hope you all liked it. ik its weird that three different people at goode have family members at centurion who all know each other but like, i didnt think out thalias inclusion in this au all the way, and i wanted frank and percy to be cousins :(
> 
> yeah from here on out its just good ol (potentially boring, sorry) fluff. next two chapters are letters so it should (hopefully) be easy, then its the ~~~epilogue~~~


	15. week twelve

Dear Hazel,

So I’m sure you’ll have heard of the Octavian thing by the time you get this letter. I’m sorry for not telling you myself, but in my defense, I was scared and also it wasn’t really on me. I know you were hoping to avoid violence or whatever but I’m glad Will broke his nose. Honestly, I think he needed it more than me. I won’t get into details because it’s his story to tell, but Octavian was saying stuff that was reminding Will of his brother. Not that his brother was like Octavian. I don’t know how to keep this vague, so I’m switching subjects.

If you haven’t picked up on it by the time you read this, and if Frank and Annabeth haven’t warned you yet: Jason and Percy are dating and gross and in love or whatever. Disgusting, but also sweet I guess. Percy’s a good guy, he deserves to be happy. Jason seems pretty solid, and any friend of yours is a friend of mine, so. I don’t know, this is weird to talk about too, I don’t like gossiping.

Oh, maybe you’re wondering why this letter is being written. I wonder if Mr. Brunner will write on it. I hope he doesn’t, I didn’t care if Octavian saw my grade but I don’t want you to see if I get a bad grade. Digression aside, I’m writing because Mr. Brunner and Mrs. Juno thought it best that I avoided any sort of contact with Octavian from here on out, our last interaction considered. Mr. Brunner asked to see Octavian’s letters to me, and so I handed them all over (minus the one or two I may have lost) and he’s pretty sure Mrs. Juno wasn’t reading Octavian’s letters closely enough. To be honest, I don’t think he was reading  _ mine  _ close enough, either, though I’d like to say I acted more… professionally? kindly?... towards Octavian than he did me. Oh, but my point! It’s best if I don’t talk to Octavian, but I still need to write two more letters, so I told Mr. Brunner about you and asked if I could write letters to you instead. Obviously, he agreed, or I would be talking to you on the phone right now.

As I’m sure you can guess, Papa and I are both getting quite… morose now that it is December. You know what I mean, with your own similar memory back in November. It makes me feel better knowing that in less than two weeks I’ll be on Christmas Break and visiting you. Papa’s looking forward to it too, though he’s trying not to let it show. I know him too well, though, and I can tell because he’s already begun packing and making arrangements and all that. 

I know for a fact that you’ll already know about this but perhaps a written reminder will compel you to join us for longer: do game night with us on Friday! We won’t all be playing the same games at the same times, so it’ll hopefully be a bit more manageable for you, and who knows, maybe we’ll both be imposters in Among Us. My friends don’t know how ruthless you are in that game yet, and I think we’d be the ultimate duo. As much as I love Will, he is an awful imposter to be teamed up with. Too much of a liability. You, however… yes, you are the evil genius who will ensure victory.

How are your classes? Are you still enjoying Human Geography? Is Algebra I getting better? Are kids being mean? Is Octavian easier to deal with now? I know you don’t need to write a response, but I’d still like to know, so if you don’t answer, could you at least text me or something?

I miss you and love you so much,

Nico di Angelo

  
  
  


Dear Nico,

Annabeth and Jason and Frank all said you were scary! They liked you, but they were scared of you! (Did you really go to a casual hangout in your Sunday best? You were just  _ trying  _ to show off, weren’t you?) I spared your reputation, but do you realize the damage I could do just by showing them how sappy you were in your letter? I love you too, of course.

I’m not entirely sure what you meant about Will in your opening paragraph, but I talked to Frank (vaguely) about Will’s past and I think I understand better. I assume his brother was in your position, and it didn’t stop at a broken nose? In that case, I’m glad he punched Octavian in the nose. I don’t mind you waiting to tell me, though.

Jason seems so happy with Percy, he talks about him at least once a day and I think I’m the only one who doesn’t mind. Well, other than Frank. So I guess only Reyna and Annabeth mind, which doesn’t seem fair to me, because he’s no worse (in fact, I think he’s a good bit better) than them in terms of being couple-y and mushy and stuff. Like you said, but vice versa: Jason’s a good guy, Percy seems pretty solid, any friend of yours, etc.

To be honest, I was less curious about why I was getting a letter and more ecstatic about having a letter! I love getting snail mail, especially from my favorite brother, so there’s no need for excuses from me! Maybe this means you can write to me more often [>:(!!!!] instead of sending me one word texts and calling me twice a month. Though I will give you credit where it’s due: you sure are great at spamming me with texts at three in the morning. What I wouldn’t give to get spams at noon and one word responses at three.

Yes, morose season sure is thriving, isn’t it? First me thinking of my mom, now you thinking of your mom, and next it’ll be all of us thinking of Bianca. I can’t wait for you guys, either, though! You can tell Dad and Seph that the guestroom is all made and ready for them, and I’ve been cleaning my room in preparation for your mattress to be put in here. I’m so ecstatic, though my aunt seems to feel weird about celebrating Yuletide and Christmas in the same house. She likes you and Dad and Seph, though, so however it goes, at least there’s that!

Okay, fine, I’ll join you guys for game night. If for no reason other than the fact that we might both be imposters. Here’s hoping, because that would certainly be a sight to behold.

My classes are going alright. Human Geography is still so cool. We’re currently learning about agriculture, and how much corn is consumed in America and such and such. I’m really enjoying the class, so to be honest, I wouldn’t mind failing the AP exam in May, because then I’d get to take it again. It works like that, doesn’t it? Algebra I is, indeed, getting better. We moved on to a unit I actually can understand, and I’m just hoping it’ll stay that way, at least for a little while, because I know you’re just as useless as I am at the subject, and all of my friends are too far past Algebra I to be of any assistance. Kids are being nice and Octavian has been mysteriously avoiding me ever since returning to school. Any time he sees me he immediately looks away. It’s a beautiful new power I have and I’m loving it.

I love and miss you more,

Hazel

  
  
  


Hello again, Annabeth!

I hope you had a nice flight back to California. That’s a lie, I already know you did because we have each other on SnapChat now and I already asked you! Er, I guess you already knew all that, but still. I guess this is more for Mr. Brunner’s sake!

What was your favorite thing you did while you were here? Can you believe I managed not to ask that at all during the dinner? I knew I could write a whole paragraph while asking you that question, so I didn’t want to bring it up so I could meet my paragraph minimum. If I had to wager a guess, I’d say you probably preferred the museums, because those are the coolest buildings. But hey, what do I know, maybe you preferred the subway tunnels because of how impressive they are. Very structurally sound, though not all pleasant in smell. My favorite thing that we all did was maybe meeting at the park (it was pretty cool that Will broke a certain someone’s nose) or eating dinner at the mall (and embarrassing Percy). I enjoyed our gaming session but it doesn’t win favorite because of me (potentially) getting Jason and Percy in trouble. My joke about room for Jesus seemed pretty funny until apparently Jason got lectured by Sally. Percy said he had a long talk about boundaries with his mom afterwards and I felt even worse. Luckily, he wasn’t mad at me or anything.

Hah, there! That’s gotta count for at least two paragraphs. Thank you for not asking that during the dinner, Annabeth. And thank you, past me, for holding it in for so long. I appreciate the boost to my letter writing.

Not to say I don’t like writing to you, I just find it easier to text, which we do now (let’s go, 7 day streak!). My handwriting is also very hard to understand (I suppose you’re just more talented than you let on in your first letter) so I tend to feel bad after hand writing something. Hey, that gives me an idea…

Okay, bad news. I had to completely redact everything I wrote in this paragraph originally. Turns out, Mr. Brunner is reading letters  _ much  _ more closely in the aftermath of Nico, Will, and You-Know-Who’s fight, and even with my illegible script, he still caught on to the fact that I used a certain curse word (here’s a hint: starts with an f, ends with an uck) multiple times throughout the paragraph. It’s a shame because that paragraph really was comedic genius. I guess you’ll just miss out. Say thank you, Mr. Brunner.

Alright, well I’m out of things to say. You’ll hear from me next on Friday, I suppose, for games! Unless you skip (don’t you dare).

Ciao!

Leo Valdez

  
  
  


Dear Leo,

Lies aside, I did indeed have a nice flight back. I feel bad for Dakota (one of my peers), who spilled Pepsi all over himself mid flight. Technically, he asked that I didn’t share this with anyone but it’s not like you are ever going to talk to Dakota again, right? Did you even talk to him while we were in New York?

Congratulations on holding that question in for our entire dinner. I really like your favorites, actually. Yes, that certain event involving Will was very funny, especially for those who have been wanting to do the same for years. Like literally, years. Since eighth grade. I’m not kidding, I am incredibly jealous of Will. I also love any chance to embarrass Jason, or watch him be embarrassed, so I have no qualms with your other favorite. However I completely disagree with you on our game night. Mrs. Jackson would have talked to Jason anyways, and then lecture Percy, too, even if you didn’t make that joke. She has to, that’s just what parents do when their kids start dating. Has Percy dated anyone before Jason?

Anyways, my favorite part of New York. You hit the nail right on the head. Museums are always my favorite part of any trip, unless something truly extraordinary happens. As much as Jason may argue otherwise, watching him get together with Percy was not that extraordinary. There is an argument to be made in favor of his and Thalia’s reunion, but it doesn’t affect me personally, so I’m still going with the museums. The art we saw was pretty cool, but the architecture was better. Looks like, unlike you, I could milk two actual paragraphs out of that question, not just one really long one.

Still, I will say: you’re so welcome for not asking this question during dinner. In fact,  _ I’m  _ grateful I didn’t ask, so for good measure: thank you, past Annabeth.

I completely agree, though, in regards to texting. No time limit, no pressure to include everything you ever want to say in a single letter, a gentle but steady pressure on the other person to open the message in order to clear out their notifications. Let’s go, 10 day streak!

The thing you need to learn, Leo, is that your handwriting isn’t  _ that  _ messy. Especially if you use a word repeatedly throughout a paragraph. You have to slip it in once, and don’t make it suspiciously more messy than your handwriting usually is. But your handwriting is bound to be legible to a high school English teacher who has been teaching for x amount of years. It’s legible to me because my younger brothers both have hellish handwritings.

I’ll be there (virtually) for games, and I’m hoping I can convince Reyna to join us. Wish me luck.

Sincerely,

Annabeth Chase

  
  
  


Dear Frank,

I hope you enjoyed your flight home. I know you all landed safely because I saw you talking in the group chat, but that says nothing about the quality of your flight. What did you do the entire time? I don’t think I could make it seven hours.

Are you glad to be home? I imagine I’d miss my mom even after five days away. Is your father better now? Maybe your time away will have taught him to treasure his time with you more. Maybe I’m naive. Maybe I’m projecting. I’m supposed to visit my dad over spring break but I’ve never met him, so I guess I’m looking for happy reunions to latch onto. I don’t know.

Did you have a lot of work to catch up on when you got back to school? I was loaded up with AP Bio work but other than that my teachers were pretty calm because we only missed two days. But you know AP teachers, they act like a second wasted is a question missed on the exam in May. I’m just glad that my APUSH class is online so I didn’t even have to worry about missing anything or falling behind.

I was going to ask this at our dinner but Leo (somehow, despite their short legs) kicked me when I tried: what was your favorite thing you did in New York? I liked the picnic on Monday, I thought that was great. Or maybe just general sightseeing. Did you know I haven’t ever had a chance to go sightseeing in New York? I moved here eight months ago and next to nobody has been willing to entertain me. It was nice to be able to explore the city a little.

I can't believe the year is almost over. I know I still have one letter left, but what are your plans for the upcoming break?

Nico is going to be visiting Hazel in California, so all of my plans will be family oriented, probably. I might hang out with the group here but it feels a little weird, hanging out with them when Nico's not around. 

I guess I'll stop here.

Sincerely,

Will Solace

  
  
  


Dear Will,

My flight was just fine, thanks! I read a book for the most part, then I watched a movie with Jason on his phone. There’s not much to do on an airplane, but we all made do. Most of us were just fine, it was just a few of our peers who got rowdy or stir crazy.

It is nice to be home, but five days away from home didn’t do much to my relationship with my dad. Not that it’s particularly bad. I may have given the wrong impression, but he went off on deployments and TDYs and stuff a lot when I was a kid so there isn’t much of a relationship there. Just the barest bones that come with birth. So five days didn’t really change much. We’re just awkward around each other. I’m sure meeting your dad will go well, though. If he wants a relationship just as much as you do, then you’ll find a way to work it out. If he doesn’t, then he’s missing out.

I didn’t have much homework to catch up on. I was excused from history because Mrs. Juno met some requirements, and I managed to get ahead beforehand in math, so it was really just science and U.S. Government, which is actually a really hard class if you’re Canadian. Oh well. My AP Chem teacher was about the same, though, so I get the AP teacher thing.

Leo is deceptively talented at causing mischief and such, as I learned during my limited interactions with them. I was incredibly impressed, though. They seem very cool. But as for your question: do I have to pick a favorite? I genuinely enjoyed each moment equally. Well, I suppose other than when we all met up for the first time. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with the setup, I just felt bad that you almost got in trouble. I really liked when we all got together on Sunday because it felt less like a school thing and more like we were all friends (which we are) hanging out. I also really liked getting to see Aunt Sally again. I haven’t seen her since she divorced my uncle. So I guess that’s my favorite. I’m glad you finally got to explore your city, though!

Plans for the upcoming break. I think my grandmother is going to see if she can fly down and visit, but she’s not having so much luck. Other than that, I’ll just be at home, probably doing homework or reading. Maybe I’ll try some new video games. The opportunities are limitless.

I hope you find something fun to do this December. Maybe I’ll hang out with Nico specifically just in your honor, haha. I can’t imagine hanging out with him alone, he’s kind of scary in all honesty.

Sincerely,

Frank Zhang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im imagining will's reaction to finding out frank is afraid of nico,,,, golden.
> 
> next chapter we'll get our regularly scheduled jercy letters but this week i wanted to tie up some loose ends for our supporting cast, because i dont think they'll get any screen time in the last two chapters.
> 
> anyways i love each and every one of you. take care <3


	16. week thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> aka jason and percy are overdramatic little nerds

My dearest Jason,

Here it is: the dreaded/eagerly anticipated Love Letter. I hope it goes without saying that this isn’t entirely platonic.

First starting this project in September, I thought I would hate it. I thought you would be boring, or the letters would be tedious, or that there were a hundred and one better things I could be doing with my time. I thought I would be doomed to writing short letters filled with overdramatics to amuse myself through it while feigning interest in someone I would never meet. Never before had I been so wrong. Far are you from boring, and far are these letters from tedious, and there is nothing I would rather be doing now than writing this letter. Instead of amusing myself with dramatics, my goal became to amuse you. And I am so glad you were never going to be someone I would never meet.

When I first saw you, I was breathless. I was trying not to pin too much hope that you were who I thought you were. It seemed impossible that I could’ve lucked out and got the kindest, coolest, funniest, most attractive penpal available. But then you came over and introduced yourself.

I don’t know how I got so lucky. Each factor that could’ve (some would argue should’ve) driven you off left you undeterred: my own awkward introduction, the hecticness of my friends (especially Leo), my mother’s Discussion™ with us. Yet you stayed, ready to take on a huge separation for the chance to be in a relationship with someone you had hardly even met in person.

Anne Hathaway was to Shakespeare what you are rapidly becoming to me (while researching, I saw claims that Shakespeare and Hathaway weren’t in love but I live in a fantasy world anyways, so disregard that possible fact). While I’m far off from writing a hundred sonnets for you, I think of you more and more as I reach for inspiration in my writings. More and more of my characters have your intelligence or your scar or your name or in some other way some part of you, because more and more of me have nothing but you in mind. How can I write of anyone else when all I want to think about is you?

You are in the sky, and every time I see that sweet light blue, I remember your eyes. You are in the sun, and every time I feel its warmth, I remember yours. You are in the odd bird that still lives in our park, and every time it chirps, I remember your letters. You are in my classes, and every time we touch on a subject, I remember those we’ve discussed. You are in every aspect of my life, and every time I so much as breathe, you are there.

I would be your Orpheus in an instant, unwavering in my determination to save you, and unsuccessful in fighting my desperation to make sure you were there with me. I would be your Psyche just as quickly, going to all ends of the earth to prove my devotion to you. I would be, rather than your Romeo, your Hermia, refusing to take the easier option if it came at your expense.

I hope this unorganized mess of a love letter made you smile. You’re better than chicken pot pie.

Love,

Percy Jackson

P.S. I’m so glad you’re my boyfriend. I hope you appreciate the fact that I had to read a Sparknotes summary of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for that Hermia one. Took me a hot second to decide.

  
  
  


My dearest Perseus,

A subject to take care of before the contents of my letter: I am framing your letter, it was perfect in every way.

My dearest, Perseus, where do I begin? The tenderest thing I can think of currently is including a person in your art, and hearing of your characters makes me wish I had an art in which I could portray you. But I am no artist, and no writer, and, as you certainly know, no poet. None of these things bring me joy. And yet you inspire me to create. You inspire me to find joy in those things. And that may be the second tenderest thing I can imagine. These letters, this one especially, will be my tribute to you instead, my display of affection written in its permanence. A monument to you, if you will.

You are the start and the end of my days, the first thought on my mind when I wake, and the last thought on my mind before I sleep. You are the stars, and the moon, and the sun, and the clouds, and all the space between them.

You are the Roman champion of a Greek god; admirable in every same and different way, and just as contrary. If you are Orpheus, then I will easily be Eurydice. If you are Psyche, I will be Eros. And if you are Perseus, then I will be Andromeda.

You are the beauty in darkness. Your hair is as dark as the night, and just as consuming. As easily as a sunken ship is swallowed by the dark sea, I find myself lost to the world by your eyes. You are the beauty of night, and the adventure of dusk, and the joy of life.

You are, you are, you are. You are. Always remember that the greatest gift you give is that  _ you are _ . That the greatest gift I’ve ever received was your first letter. That you are, and were long enough for my existence to intersect with yours.

I am, completely and undeniably, yours. You could say jump, I would say how high. You could say go, I would say how far. And that is terrifying. And that is what I mean when I say that just as the bird loves and fears the sky, I love to be loved by you. Just as the sky demands the bird put all on the line every time it flies, and just as the sky rewards the bird with that feeling of freedom, I must expose every embarrassing and normal part of me to feel your warmth, and it is both exhilarating and terrifying.

I write this all praying you are not Jared, 19, because it is only in writing that I find courage. And yet even Shakespeare himself could not express his love in a hundred sonnets, so how is it that I am expected to express mine in a single letter, when I love you all the better?

You’re better than chicken pot pie.

Love,

Jason

P.S. I’m glad you’re my boyfriend, too. And I highly appreciate all the effort you went into reading SparkNote’s guide for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this doesnt meet your guys' expectations. it was so fun to write but halfway through jason's letter my day went weird and i wanted to get it done asap so i didnt have the energy to really proofread after. i hope you all still enjoy it! im excited to write the epilogue next---


	17. epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> two years later: percy and jasons relationship from four perspectives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i renamed zeus as dias for this because dias sounds more like a plausible name than zeus (and its actually a name used for him in greece!)
> 
> also disclaimer im not jewish. i talk about some hanukkah traditions and such pretty briefly and i did a lot of research but if i made a mistake please please please let me know!
> 
> finally, tw: mentions/allusions to abuse

Perseus was leaning against the frame of their front door when Jason walked into the living room. His boyfriend was grinning at him and wearing that old sweatshirt Jason gave him nearly two years ago.

“Thanks for all the help unpacking,” Jason said dryly, walking over to Perseus. “Anyone would think you weren’t living here, too, with all the help- or, really, the lack thereof- you were giving me.”

Perseus raised his eyebrows. “Uh, hello? I’m the moral support. Besides,” he added dramatically, “I prefer watching you do all the work, your strength makes me swoon.”

Jason didn’t hold back his laugh, but he did give Perseus a kiss. “I’m glad I make you swoon. And here I was, scared that moving in after two years of living on different coasts would ruin any attraction you had for me.”

He was joking, mostly, but there was some truth behind the words nonetheless. Jason would be a liar if he said he didn’t have his worries about how his and Perseus’s relationship could change in the face of new dynamics. They had, of course, spent time in person together since getting together. The summer between their Junior and Senior year, Jason had managed to convince his father to let him go spend a month (a whole month!) in New York City to intern for a law firm his father owned however many shares in. He had worked with Sally to ensure he didn’t leave until after Perseus’s birthday, which was excellent. Though Jason, true to his word, did have to work at the law firm, he found he actually really enjoyed it- to the point that he managed to convince his father not to send him off to business school, but to instead let him become a lawyer himself. Then, that same year, he had visited Perseus again for winter break, regrettably flying in the week after his boyfriend’s family finished Hanukkah celebrations. And then, at the end of June, he flew out again to New York, staying with Perseus until the two moved to Seattle, where Jason would be going to school. But that time spent together didn’t mean they were necessarily prepared to  _ live _ together.

As he had the talent to do, Perseus pulled Jason out of his spiraling thoughts, pressing their foreheads together. “Me? Not attracted to you? That could never happen, the very notion is absurd,” he promised Jason. “After all, why else would I choose to watch you carry around boxes and unpack them instead of helping?”

“Um, do you really want me to answer that?” Jason asked.

“Oh, my, Jason Grace, what are you implying?”

“You’re lazy.”

“These are the words coming from the man I love?” Perseus cried, sounding scandalized. “And to think, I wasn’t even going to kill my latest Jason off!”

Jason grinned, thinking of the various fates, happy and ill, of the many characters Perseus had written and named after him. Every single story Perseus had shared with him had a Jason in it. Sometimes a major character, sometimes minor. Sometimes very Jason-esque, sometimes not at all. He thought of the work in progress that Perseus was most likely thinking of. “Oh, woe for Jason. I assume you’re reconsidering now?”

“Well, I  _ was _ ,” Perseus said, pausing a long moment. “But then I decided I couldn’t. This one’s too much like you. And you deserve the happy ending.”

"Thank you," Jason answered, not entirely sure if that was the appropriate response. Then, truthfully, he added, "You do, too, y'know."

"Then it's fortunate that this is ours." Jason's forehead was still against Perseus's, and his stomach was still swooping from the touch. And with that giddy sensation in his core, Jason decided to believe Perseus.

He decided to put aside his anxieties and believe that this was his happy ending- a little apartment with his boyfriend, pursuing a bachelor's degree he chose, his friends and sister not far away. He decided to believe that this would always be his happy ending, as long as he wanted it to be. That any fight he and Perseus had, any hardship they went through, whatever struggle they felt, things would always come back to this, to Jason and Perseus and their little life.

Placated, Jason answered, "Very fortunate indeed."

  
  
  


Dias always kept a watchful eye on his son. Not literally; he was not so disillusioned with young adults as to believe installing security cameras in his son’s daily routine was the sensible decision to make whenever he left home. But he wanted to know what his son was up to. He knew from his long broken relationship with his daughter that oftentimes, kids won’t tell you everything. So he very easily started to keep tabs on his son’s day-to-day life. He even still kept tabs on Thalia, sending her checks when he thought she would cash them.

So Dias had known that Jason was seeing someone in New York in the aftermath of his English project. He knew that the someone was a young boy named Perseus Jackson, and he knew a few more details than he could morally explain. But he hoped his son would tell him. He said nothing, waiting for Jason to mention it. When Jason asked to go away to New York for the summer, quoting the law firm he could intern at as his reason, Dias knew the trip’s real purpose. He honestly wouldn’t have made Jason work for that month had his son just been honest, but if this was the way things would be, Jason could at least work half days.

When Jason wanted to go back for Christmas, Dias could guess things were fairly serious. And when Jason chose to fly out there for two weeks before going off to college, Dias could guess that Jason and his boyfriend were going to move in together.

Was Dias hurt that Jason still hadn’t told him about his relationship? A little. He knew that relationships weren’t the only important thing in the world. It ranked low on his priorities (though his wife, Hera, disagreed), but he could tell this was important to his son, and it hurt that Jason- what, didn’t trust him? Didn’t think it relevant? Didn’t want him to know? Dias wasn’t sure.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure about a lot of things when it came to raising a son. He thought he was doing a good job, as good a job as he could. But when his son came home for his senior year of high school, he had asked Dias, so scared and hesitant, if it was alright if he pursued a job in law instead of business. Dias was taken aback. Did his son really think he was  _ forcing _ business on him? Sure, it’d be nice to have a child take over the company, but their happiness came before that.

He was proud of his son. Jason was going to a nice school for his bachelor’s, he was happy, he knew what career he wanted. Dias, again, would’ve offered to help him out so much more, but Jason  _ still  _ hadn’t told him about Perseus. So he took care of Jason’s tuition (which was a lot more than Jason wanted him to do) and pulled strings to allow Jason to live off campus his first year of college. But he didn’t send Jason money. At least, not on normal days. He already decided he would do what he could for holidays and birthdays. And he wanted that to include Perseus, he wanted to be able to help them both out, considering how long they had been together by now.

It was time to take matters into his own hand.

The day he flew into Seattle was wet and dreary- compared to his warm home in California, that is. But Dias was undeterred. It was still early September- Jason had lived in his apartment for maybe a month and a half. School hadn’t quite started yet.

Jason and Perseus would both be home. Dias knew that- he was, afterall, keeping tabs on the two. When he knocked, he was unsurprised that it took a minute for anyone to get the door. It ended up being opened by Perseus, and Dias quickly and quietly assessed the boy. Not who he would imagine his son with, but he seemed good enough, roughly.

“Um, hello? Can I help you?” Perseus had asked hesitantly. The door was only open a sliver- Dias chalked that up to anxiety, perhaps.

“Yes. I’m here to see Jason.”

“Uh, okay,” Perseus had then replied, before turning to look over his shoulder and call out “Hey, babe, there’s someone at the door for you…?”

The sentence had trailed off, likely to prompt context, but no context came because the door opened wider and Jason was now visible, stopped in his tracks as he took in the undoubtedly terrifying sight of his father showing up at his door on a perfectly average Saturday.

“Father... hello…” Jason said faintly, looking mortified. Perseus was wearing a dawning look of understanding, and then a look of horror as he glanced back at Jason.

“Hello, son,” Dias replied, realizing that there were better ways he could have done this. “Hello, Perseus. May I come in?”

“Sure…” Jason had answered, sounding dazed. Then, he seemed to wake up a little. “Yes, of course. Please… excuse the mess. We weren’t expecting--- was I supposed to--- is Hera---?”

Dias strode in, propping his umbrella up by the door. He took in the apartment, frowning slightly at how  _ used  _ everything looked (his son had only moved in in July, how used could his furniture be?) before sitting carefully on an armchair. Sitting, and with the two boys gaping at him, he said “Yes, I know you weren’t expecting me. I apologize, it was rather spur of the moment. I’m up here for business.” The lie slipped easily out of his mouth as Dias did his best not to further spook his son. “I must’ve forgotten to tell you. Hera sends her best.”

“Can we go back to how you know my name?” Perseus, panicked, asked, before seemingly starting to panic more. “Uh- I mean-”

“It’s okay,” Dias said. “I keep an eye on my son. I would hate for something bad to happen to him, so I’ve known about you since… oh, his junior year, wasn’t it?”

“Th- that’s right, sir, we’ve been friends since we were juniors,” Perseus nervously agreed. Jason looked frozen in place.

“Oh, you’ve been more than friends,” Dias corrected.

“You- knew?” Jason choked out. He was blinking rapidly.

“Of course I knew. You can only go to New York so many times before I start to suspect something. I was just waiting for you to tell me yourself.”

Jason seemed to be easing somewhat, stumbling his way to the couch and lowering himself slowly onto it. Perseus stood next to him. “Then… what changed?” Jason asked.

“You left home.” Dias frowned, and broke eye contact in favor of staring out their small window. “I knew you were less likely to tell me if you never really saw me anymore.”

“And why did you want to openly know so badly?” Jason continued, starting to find his strength.

“I’m your father.”

There was a silence while Jason processed that answer. “So what about Thalia?”

Dias was, admittedly, a bit surprised to hear that question. “What of her?”

“Why did you abandon her?”

With a heavy sigh, Dias closed his eyes. He opened them again, still looking away from his son. In his peripheral, he could see Jason clinging to Perseus’s hand, leaning forward in interest. “I do not pretend to be a flawless man. I’ve made my mistakes. My relationship with- your sister is one of them. I wish I could’ve been of more help to her, but she’s always been headstrong. She refused to compromise, or even communicate with me. But I never abandoned her. I’ve kept an eye on her, same as you. I send her financial help, same as you.”

Finally, Dias focused on Jason once more. Jason, to his shock, did not receive that answer well.

“Are you kidding? She- she lived on the streets! For a year, until Perseus’s mom took her in! Where was her financial help, then? Where was it when she was struggling, when she was being attacked, when she-”

“I did my best, but she wouldn’t-”

“No, Father, I’ve talked to her about this. She absolutely  _ would  _ have taken help from you. She wouldn’t have gone home, and rightfully so, but she would have taken help. She- both of us- were in the foster system for- for years! Her in it longer than me! Why didn’t you take her with me? Why didn’t you-”

“There were issues with custody. Your mother-”

“No! No, stop hiding behind other people, Father! Face your own mistakes! Why did you take  _ me  _ out of the foster system, but not Thalia?”

“I-” Dias searched for an answer that wouldn’t anger his child.  _ You were a gentler child. Easier to tame.  _ That would only further enrage his son. And so much for gentle, now, because Jason was glowering now, his fiery eyes just as intense as Thalia’s always were during discussions.  _ Are,  _ a small voice, suspiciously Jason-esque, nagged in the back of his mind.  _ You talk about her like she’s dead. _

Jason must’ve taken Dias’s silence as an answer, because, voice much lower but still as pissed, he spat out “Get. Out.”

“What?”

“ _ Get. Out. _ ” 

“Son-” Dias began, sounding almost as dangerous, but Perseus cut him off.

“Sir, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.” He drew himself up while he said this, turning from a small figure in the room into an equal, even if he was still markedly shorter than Jason and Dias. 

Dias gave a hissing breath as he stood up. Curtly, he had said “Fine. But this isn’t- I’ll be back.”

Without even grabbing his umbrella, Dias stormed out of the apartment.

Even still, that December, an envelope addressed to Jason Grace and Perseus Jackson arrived at the apartment, check inside. Undeposited.

  
  


Sally loved her son more than life itself. She hadn’t scraped through life during his childhood for nothing. She worked endless shifts, married that god awful man who had promised to take care of them, and then wrenched Perseus away from him when the situation became  _ too _ serious. And if Gabe had disappeared in the process, well… she didn’t know anything about it.

There were some of her distant family members who seemed to think she couldn’t possibly be proud of him.  _ He’s not in college, he’s doing nothing with his life, he wants to be an author, he was born a girl.  _ Those and more complaints readily fell out of her family’s mouths. And she fought each and every one of them. He took after her, she said. No college degree needed. Both were working on novels. And she was so incredibly proud of her son for how open and proud he was about his transness. She couldn’t be happier with how her son was living his life.

And yet.

And yet she couldn’t help but worry for Percy.

Sally liked Jason, honestly. She was just wary of anyone dating her son, even more so because Percy’d never dated anyone before him. Even more so because she remembered her first relationship after Percy’s dad left. Her last relationship before she found Paul. And she remembered how dangerous it was, and how hard it was to escape. Hell, she couldn’t even (legally) talk about  _ how  _ she escaped. But most importantly, she remembered how it started. The little things that led to the big things that led to the whole situation, and how the manipulation is done slowly and surely.

She wasn’t ashamed to admit that she wanted Percy to wait another year before moving in with Jason. For them to live near each other. Maybe Percy could live with Grover, who worked for that eco charity in Tacoma. When that didn’t work ( _ Grover’s gonna have to travel too much _ ), she wracked her brain for others. Rachel ( _ no, Mom, she’s moving to Paris to study art _ ), or Nico ( _ and third wheel full time? No thanks, besides, he and Will are going to Columbia _ ), or Thalia ( _ she’s in the military, she’d have to list me as a dependent, probably _ ), or… or… his newer friends, Leo and Piper ( _ Leo’s off to Texas, Piper to Chicago _ ), or Frank ( _ UC Davis _ ), or… or… 

Eventually, she took the hint and gave up. Jason had come over three separate times. He spent a month in New York once (not staying with the Jackson-Blofis household, but spending the better part of his time there), and then Winter Break (this time staying in the apartment) (Sally was very firm about him sleeping in the living room), and then for a few weeks in the summer before Percy left for Seattle (same rules applied, and she gave them both a strict glare to tell them she didn’t forget about  _ the incident  _ from December). She had seen how Jason acted when Percy’s family was around. But that didn’t promise anything about his behavior alone.

So when it was announced that Percy and Jason were coming to celebrate Hanukkah, Sally was relieved. It didn’t promise anything regarding the health of Percy and Jason’s relationship, but the fact that Jason, who wasn’t even Jewish, wanted to come visit (or so Percy said) was a good indicator.

He was trying. Sally had to give him that.

The first night, Percy right off the bat wanted to play dreidel. He did his best to give Jason a quick rundown, Estelle piping in to give unhelpful additions to the instructions. Jason, unsurprisingly, didn’t seem to really get it, instead opting to just watch his boyfriend for cues. He watched as everyone added a chocolate coin to the middle of the table before taking one from the stockpile provided to him and following suit. Then he watched as Estelle spun the dreidel, adding a coin with a pout, Paul spun the dreidel and doing nothing, Sally spun the dreidel, took half the coins, and then Percy spun the dreidel, also adding a coin. Jason hesitantly took the wooden dreidel and, at Percy’s encouragement, spun it. When it landed, he just stared at it blankly until Percy instructed him to take the coins.

The game continued, Jason slowly getting the hang of it but still relying on Percy’s experience before acting, and Sally did appreciate that he seemed interested in the facts Percy had been providing as a running commentary throughout the night.

Night had long since fallen, and Percy and Jason both seemed exhausted from their travels, so Sally decided to have mercy on the boys and send them off to Percy’s room (figuring that they live together anyways, it’s not the end of the world if they share a room).

The trip progressed smoothly. Jason expressed a healthy interest in Hanukkah, and did his best to respectfully participate where he could. But it was a few days into the holiday that Sally finally lowered her guard a little.

Estelle had knocked over a plate in her eagerness for more sufganiyot and was in the middle of being lectured by Paul. Meanwhile Percy, Jason, and Sally had frozen mid-card game to watch from across the apartment. And at one point, Estelle had interrupted to argue with him, and Jason flinched.

_ Oh. _

Well, that didn’t tell Sally anything, strictly speaking. But it did remind her of how, for years, Percy would flinch during every disagreement with Paul. A heartbreaking habit that had mostly faded with time.

That night, after the menorah candles had burned and everyone was being ushered off to bed, Sally spoke up.

“Jason, can I speak with you for a second?” she had asked as he and Percy made their way to the hallway.

“Uh, sure,” Jason agreed hesitantly, looking concerned as he loitered back towards Sally. He made eye contact with Percy, who was hovering at the edge of the hallway.

“It’s okay, Percy, you can go to your room. Jason will join you in a second, I just wanted a word with him alone.”

Once she heard Percy’s door open and then close, Sally faced Jason fully. “Sit down,” she invited, gesturing to the chair across from her. He wordlessly obeyed. After waiting a beat, she continued, “I saw you flinch while Paul was having a talk with Estelle.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply-”

“It’s okay,” Sally said, her hands held up in a placating gesture. “I’m not trying to lecture you. You’re an adult, and not my son, so even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t. But I was going to say Percy used to do it a lot, too. To Paul. Whenever he got in trouble. His previous stepfather…” She had trailed off, seeking the right words to explain the situation to Jason, to segue into her primary concern, but Jason already had a look of disgust on his face.

“Percy’s talked to me about Gabe.”

Sally did feel distantly surprised, given that her son was known to avoid talking about it, but instead focused on the issue at hand. “Were you… also…?”

Jason furrowed his eyebrows. “Abused?” Sally nodded. “I-” He looked uncomfortable, and Sally prepared to drop the topic, considering the reaction adequate enough as far as answers go. “I didn’t have it bad. Not as bad as some. My dad isn’t great, but…”

Sally filled in the gaps herself well enough, and placed a hand on top of his. “I just wanted to remind you you’re safe here.” Jason nodded awkwardly, not really making eye contact. She stood and told him, “Alright. You better get off to bed. Sleep well, Jason.”

“You, too, Mrs- uh, Sally.”

Sally just smiled at him, and they went their separate ways.

  
  
  


Jason was adorable when he lost a game, and luckily for Percy, Jason was extremely bad at Mario Kart 64.

Unlike Jason, whose father could afford to throw the latest video games at him in attempts of buying love, Percy, for the large majority of his childhood, could only be afforded an old hand-me-down gaming system, the games his mom's cousin gave with said system, and the games he could scavenge from the parents of his friends, thriftshops, and the cashiers at used game stores.

Percy had clear memories of his childhood self, sitting up by the television and racing through tracks over and over again. Days when Gabe was gambling at a friend's house, so Grover could come over and race him. The days after Gabe left, when Percy could finally truly relax while he played.

It became a form of comfort for him. Times changed, his favorite games changed, but Percy never stopped loving Mario Kart 64.

He remembered senior year, when he and Jason first brought up living together. Jason had just applied to University of Washington's Seattle campus, and had asked if Percy would consider rooming with him if he could get permission to live off campus.

Of course he said yes, but Percy had to tease his boyfriend first.  **how do you feel about mario kart 64 in the middle of the night?**

**This feels like a trick question,** Jason had replied.  **Actually you talked about this in a letter. I love Mario Kart 64 and playing it in the middle of the night.**

So they played it a lot together. They had found an old, beat-up television in a used furniture shop (Percy didn't feel nearly as comfortable as Jason did spending his father's money) and their go-to date night rapidly became buying some snacks and playing Mario Kart 64.

That's what they were doing at the moment. Outside, some unholy mix of snow and rain was falling, and inside, Jason and Percy were curled up under a blanket and battling it out on the pixelated racetrack.

"Are you kidding?" Jason asked, exasperated, as Percy began his rapid glitching around the track. Percy couldn't help but laugh as his boyfriend struggled his way around the intended path.

Completing the race, Percy dropped his remote and wiggled closer to Jason's side. "I can't help it if I'm a master at this game, babe."

Jason spluttered for a moment. "Th- y- that's not mastery, that's cheating!"

"It's not cheating if it's a video game, my dear. The developers could have stopped that from happening if they really wanted to."

Finally finishing lap one, Jason groaned and elbowed Percy in the side. "You  _ know  _ the devs didn't mean for anyone to do that."

"As far as I'm aware," Percy argued stubbornly, "that glitch is my godgiven right as a master of this game."

Percy felt Jason shift slightly, and the arm wrapped around him jerked slightly with his controller. "Perseus. Babe. It is important to me that you understand that that obviously was not an intended short cut."

"Jason. My life. My light. If it wasn't intended, then why is it there?"

Jason just gave a deep, suffering sigh. Finishing lap two, he added, "Do you even enjoy watching me struggle around the racetrack for an extra three minutes? What do you gain by finishing so early?"

Percy tilted his head so he could look at Jason's face instead of at the television. "I get to look at you. You're very cute when you debate the ethics of glitch exploitation in a competition."

Scowling, Jason's eyes flicked down to look at Percy for just a moment. "Curse you," he said, focusing back on the screen as he turned into sight of the finishing line. He crossed it, dropped the controller, and pressed a kiss to the top of Percy's head. "I can't believe I'm dating a cheater."

"Hey, be careful who you say that to. I don't want my good name soiled."

Jason grinned and pulled out his phone. "So… don't send that to our Discord server?"

"Oh, my God, definitely do not. If Piper read that and actually thought…" Percy broke off with a shudder. "Oh, shit, or Reyna and Annabeth."

Percy thought of the two terrifying girls who had actually visited them in early January for a few days. "I'd be dead before I could even add 'in Mario Kart 64'."

"Hah!" Jason cried out, startling Percy. "So you admit it! You cheated in Mario Kart 64!"

Percy huffed. "Fine," he said. "Maybe I don't play the game  _ exactly  _ how it was intended. I still don't think it's cheating, though, because I didn't alter the code at all."

"You're an ass," Jason grumbled, but he still leaned down to kiss Percy while fighting off a grin.

Percy couldn't be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dias is abusive, hes just also in denial
> 
> Okay, Wow. this fic is finished. i havent finished a multichap fic in.... 5 years.
> 
> thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who left kudos, bookmarked, and commented. you all made it feel so much more important that i finished, and really encouraged me.
> 
> special thanks to [bipercy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bipercy/pseuds/bipercy) and to [leafiest_groves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafiest_groves/pseuds/leafiest_groves), the latter of whom wrote a gorgeous fic to celebrate this fic's completion: [dramatic irony](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27278665).
> 
> again, thank you all very much for reading my little fic. i hope this provided you all a little bit of joy, a little bit of escapism, a little bit of a distraction from whatever hectic life you live. whether you've read as i posted or you stumble upon this a year from now: thank you, i appreciate you, and you deserve the world.


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